Stroke-length control of a MEMS device

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) have a variety of potential civil and military applications. As MEMS become widely implemented, the application of closed-loop control methods to MEMS will lead to higher degrees of certainty and reliability of microelectromechanical operation in physically demanding environments. This paper presents an overview of research and development progress in the area of MEMS control at West Virginia University. The implementation and simulation of a closed-loop stroke-length control of a lateral comb actuator is presented. The closed-loop scheme implemented is based on a common proportional, integral, derivative (PID) linear feedback control. The position signal of the lateral comb actuator device was obtained using a through-wafer free-space optical probe. The paper also includes further progress in both linear and nonlinear feedback position control schemes.