Design and Fabrication of a Laterally Driven Bistable Electromagnetic Microrelay

A laterally driven bistable electromagnetic microrelay has been designed, fabricated, and tested. The working principle of the proposed microrelay is based on the Fleming's left hand rule. Silicon-on-insulator wafers are used for electrical isolation and releasing of the moving microstructures. The high-aspect-ratio microstructures are fabricated using a DRIE process. The tandem-typed arch-shaped leaf springs with a silicon/gold composite layer enhance the mechanical performances while reducing the electrical resistance. A permanent magnet is attached at the bottom of the silicon substrate, resulting in the generation of an external magnetic field in the vertical direction of the silicon substrate. The leaf springs show a bistable behavior. The resistance of the pair of leaf springs was 5.5Ω and the contact resistance was 4.7Ω. The driving voltage is measured to be ±0.5V.