2-DOF thin film metallic glass microactuator

摘要

This paper describes a new two-degrees-of-freedom (2-DOF) microactuator which is actuated by PZT films. The microactuator is constructed using a bent microbeam of a Pd-based thin film metallic glass (TFMG) with two actuating PZT films. The TFMG is an amorphous alloy which softens in the supercooled liquid region (SCLR) temperature range. The TFMG therefore can easily be formed into three-dimensional shapes such as bent microcantilevers. The actuator is fabricated using a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) fabrication process and localized heating using a YAG laser. The fabricated actuator acts as 2-DOF microactuator with an approximately 1micron stroke in each direction with a resonant frequency of 1.3 kHz.