Tabbara, M.R.; De Boer, M.P.; Dugger, M.T.; Clews, P.J.; Michalske, T.A.; SOE; 199890270; Civil Engineering; mtabbara@lau.edu.lb; Lebanese American University
Abstract:
We measure deformations of electrostatically actuated cantilever beams adhered to a substrate and compare results to numerical simulations. Beams are peroxide treated and either supercritically dried or coated with octadecyltrichlorosilane (ODTS). In air with relative humidity (RH) of about 50%, measured deformations are consistent with numerical results when an effective insulator thickness of 14 nm is assumed. This value is a measure of the roughness of the substrate. Deformations are generally reversible for voltages up to 2 V. With RH of 75%, deformations of supercritically dried beams are dominated by capillary rather than electrostatic forces. The ODTS-coated beams exhibit less effect from the capillary forces, as expected for a hydrophobic coating.
Citation:
De Boer, M. P., Tabbara, M. R., Dugger, M. T., Clews, P. J., & Michalske, T. A. (1997, June). Measuring and modeling electrostatic adhesion in micromachines. In Solid State Sensors and Actuators, 1997. TRANSDUCERS'97 Chicago., 1997 International Conference on (Vol. 1, pp. 229-232). IEEE
