Engineering Commons^™

Micro Electrostatic Actuation Of A Silicon Diaphragm, Matthew W. Samples

Master's Theses

There are a number of applications, from hearing aids to microfluidic pumps, which utilize micro-scale actuating diaphragms. These MEMS (micro-electromechanical system) devices can be actuated by electrostatic forces, which utilize an induced electric field to pull two charged plates towards one another. Such devices were fabricated and electrostatic actuation of the diaphragms was performed to analyze its viability as a micro-speaker. The long-term performance of such products requires adequate diaphragm deflection to create audible pressure waves with relatively low maximum stresses to ensure a high cycle fatigue life. With these requirements, initial calculations and FEA (finite element analysis) were performed …