A Large-Deflection Electrostatic Actuator for Optical Switching Applications

Abstract

in the design of comb-drive actuators have allowed their use in a 1xN optical switch requiring 200 urn static deflection and a switching speed of less than 1 ms. The main obstacle to the development of large-displacement combdrive actuators has been electromechanical side instability, which increases with forward deflection and may cause catastrophic failure. In this work, the stable deflection range is increased by employing prebent suspensions and linearly engaging comb teeth. Nonlinear analytical models, as well as MechanicaTM finite element models and SimulinkTM numerical models have been developed to fully characterize the performance of the actuators and facilitate their design.