A micromechanical switch with electrostatically driven liquid-metal droplet

Abstract

This paper presents the use of a microscale liquid-metal droplet as a contact and moving part in a micromechanical switch with electrostatic actuation. Design, FEM analysis, fabrication and testing of the device are reported. The droplet is driven by a given voltage bias that induces electrostatic force between a grounded liquid-metal and an imbedded actuation electrode. The electrodes and the liquid-metal droplet are placed inside of an anisotropically etched silicon cavity. A novel technique to make shadow masks utilizing thin wafers is used to pattern the electrodes inside the silicon cavity. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.