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Full-Text Articles in Mechanical Engineering
Open-Loop Electrowetting Actuation With Micro-Stepping, Qi Ni, Daniel E. Capecci, Nathan B. Crane
Open-Loop Electrowetting Actuation With Micro-Stepping, Qi Ni, Daniel E. Capecci, Nathan B. Crane
Faculty Publications
Microfluidic-driven mechanical actuation opens new possibilities for positioning and manipulating delicate small components. However, existing microfluidic actuation methods are not well-suited to positioning with high resolution. This paper reports a method for precise, open-loop control of droplet position in finite steps by varying the duty cycle of the input signal in electrowetting actuation. When wetted to a solid object, both the droplet and the solid can be actuated. Unlike conventional electrowetting actuation methods, positioning resolution in our proposed method can be much smaller than the size of the underlying electrodes without requiring closed loop feedback control system. Using a leaky …
Robust Bi-Directional Continuous Electrowetting Based On Metal-Semiconductor (M-S) Diodes, Qi Ni, Daniel E. Capecci, Millicent Schlafly, Nathan B. Crane
Robust Bi-Directional Continuous Electrowetting Based On Metal-Semiconductor (M-S) Diodes, Qi Ni, Daniel E. Capecci, Millicent Schlafly, Nathan B. Crane
Faculty Publications
We demonstrate bi-directional continuous electrowetting by embedding metal-semiconductor diodes in the electrowetting substrate. Unlike conventional electrowetting on dielectric (EWOD), bi-directional continuous electrowetting uses a single electrode pair to actuate a droplet through long distances. As long as the voltage potential is maintained between two end electrodes, the droplet moves toward the electrode with the higher potential. However, previously reported material systems had limited success in repeated actuation. In this work, diodes based on Schottky barriers were fabricated by forming metal-semiconductor junctions between titanium and high resistivity n-type silicon. The performance enhancements were evaluated using current-voltage measurements of interface pairs. When …