Magnetic comb drive actuator

We present the first electromagnetic comb drive actuator which allows for large, linear actuator motion at large air gap widths of
25

mum
and a structural height of
400

mum
. Previously reported designs require very narrow air gaps of
3

mum
at structural heights of up to
1

mm
[1] which makes them sensitive to operate, and challenging to fabricate. The new design reduces the reluctance by a parallel connection of several pole shoes as is well known for electrostatic actuators, which reduces the current consumption and linearizes the current - displacement characteristic. Magnetic and mechanical material properties are measured for an accurate simulation of the system behavior. Experimental results verify the theoretical predictions.