Cycling Times of Thin-Film NiTi on Si

Abstract
The thermo-mechanical properties of NiTi are well known for bulk material although its deposition and utilization as a thin film are still in their earliest stages. The deposition of thin-films of Shape Memory Effect NiTi onto Si(100) wafers offers several advantages over bulk NiTi, including fast response times and comparitively large transformation forces, and so is a promising candidate as a micro-actuator for MicroElectroMechanical (MEMS) systems as well as in strain measurements. The response time for a variety of NiTi layers were modelled under different boundary conditions and show response times similar to the acoustic velocities for one micron thick NiTi.