INTEGRATED POLYMERIC MICRO-TWEEZERS DEVICE WITH FORCE/MOVEMENT PIEZORESISTIVE SENSOR FOR MICRO-MANIPULATION

摘要

The invention relates to integrated micro-tweezers with force/movement piezoresisitve sensors with submilimetric sizes, electro-thermally actuated, to be used for handling/manipulating elements of micrometer sizes, such as cells and biological tissues, micro-lenses, micro-components of micro-systems. According to the invention, the micro-tweezers consists of a support (1) of silicon or any other material on which there are fixed on the one hand the electro-thermal actuator component (1) which is electrically actuated by means of two metallic pads (3) generating, due to heating and expansion of the materials of the actuator (2), a movement of a free active arm (4) which is supported by the flexion part (5) of the free arm (4) and, on the other hand, the force/movement piezoresistive sensor component (6) which is monitored by the metallic terminals (7) and which comprises piezoresistive elements (8) and a passive arm (9), namely the sensor which may comprise a flexion part (9'), so as the micro-tweezers to be capable to manipulate elements at micrometer scale.