Electromechanical properties of amorphous and microcrystalline silicon micromachined structures

Abstract
Electrostatic actuation of bridge and cantilever structures is studied. The structures are composed of bilayers of amorphous or microcrystalline silicon and aluminum fabricated using surface micromachining on glass substrates. The structures are actuated by applying the sum of a DC and a low-frequencyAC voltage. The resulting AC deflection is detected optically. The dependence of this deflection upon theapplied voltages and the bridge length is studied and compared with the predictions of an electromechanical model. The deflection amplitude can be electrostatically controlled and detected with a precision estimated to be better than a nanometer.

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