This thesis examines the development and testing of a novel 2 DOF (Degrees of
Freedom) thermal actuator using Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS)
technology. A out-of-plane displacement measurement technique based on optical focus
adjustments is also implemented and tested. In-plane displacement measurement
techniques are also compared.
Existing MEMS actuator can either move in-plane or out-of-plane but no reported
actuators were found to move in a user selectable combination of both domains. The
novel actuator fabricated using the PolyMUMPs process is capable of displacements of 5
?m out-of-plane and 1.5 ?m in-plane. A Finite Element Analysis (FEA) was performed
as a proof of concept prior to physical construction. FEA was also used to characterize
the actuator.
Measuring out-of-plane displacements of MEMS devices is difficult to
accomplish using only a standard microscope and camera setup. Methods have included
tilting the chip so the vertical motion has a planar component. The most common
commercial measurement technique uses interferomery but special expensive equipment
is necessary. A method adapted from biological autofocus is proposed in which multiple
images (100+) are taken at various focal planes. An algorithm is applied which extracts
the most focused image. An out-of-plane displacement measurement can be extracted
between two image sets. Results were compared to optical profiler measurements and the
results had an average error of 0.47 ?m
A comparison of planar displacement measurement methods, which included two
variations of both edge detection and pattern matching along with measurements using
the optical profiler, was accomplished. Consistent planar displacement results were
collected for all techniques except for the simple edge detection.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:NSHD.ca#10222/14021 |
| Date | 20 July 2011 |
| Creators | d'Entremont, Rene |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
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