Dielectric Elastomer Micro Actuator Made In Micromachining Technology: Finite Element Modelling and Deformation Measurement

Abstract

In this contribution, we focus on polymer actuators based on dielectric elastomers, and intend to establish innovative and alternative integration miniaturization processes inspired from MEMS technology. We propose to use the polydimethylesiloxane (PDMS) due to its high elasticity and adjustable permittivity by addition of ceramic nanoparticles. A method for structuring PDMS layers is developed. It allows overcoming the technological challenges encountered during the integration of such materials in a micro-actuator. The fabrication of the functional actuator also involves a thin gold upper electrode, which is obtained by a lift-off process. We demonstrate the successful integration of micro-actuators, which generate at most 2 μm displacements. In parallel the response of our actuator is analyzed quantitatively by modelling the elastomer response with hyper elastic models using FEM tool. We show excellent agreement between the model and experimental deformations.