Design & fabrication of out-of-plane electrostatic actuators for optical application

This paper presents the results of on-going research on fundamental issues related to electrical & mechanical properties of microstructures. Attention is mostly focused on the structures used to fabricate optical switches/attenuators for fiber optic communication applications. In this work, we design and fabricate electrostatic actuators composed of micro-cantilever beams using MUMPs (multi-user MEMS processes) technology, discuss the electrical and mechanical properties of electrostatic cantilever beams in terms of the structural materials, thin-film stress, geometric shapes and dimensions. The relationships between the displacement and several physical properties are calculated, modeled and analyzed. Based on our modeling, simulation and analytical solutions, some conclusions regarding electrostatic actuators with thin film stress are summarized.