A novel electro-thermal actuated micro position lock

This paper presents a novel electro-thermal actuated micro position lock. The device consumes power only during switching operation, and with no standby power consumption at all. This feature can reduce power consumption extremely and extend the device reliability. The device needs 5 V to drive, which is compatible with conventional CMOS logic. This kind of position lock could be used in controlling a micro-tube, which is an essential component in bio-MEMS chips and microfluidic chips.