title: Large displacement vertical translational actuator based on piezoelectric thin films.
abstract: A novel vertical translational microactuator based on thin-film piezoelectric actuation is presented, using a set of four compound bend-up/bend-down unimorphs to produce translational motion of a moving platform or stage. The actuation material is a chemical-solution deposited lead-zirconate-titanate (PZT) thin film. Prototype designs have shown as much as 120μm of static displacement, with 80-90μm displacements being typical, using four 920μm long by 70μm legs. Analytical models are presented that accurately describe nonlinear behavior in both static and dynamic operation of prototype stages when the dependence of piezoelectric coefficients on voltage is known. Resonance of the system is observed at a frequency of 200 Hz. The large displacement and high bandwidth of the actuators at low-voltage and low-power levels should make them useful to a variety of optical applications, including endoscopic microscopy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, 2200 Bonisteel Dr., Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2099, USA.
authors.forename: Zhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.affiliation: U.S. Army Research Laboratory, Sensors and Electron Devices Directorate, 2800 Powder Mill Rd., Adelphi, MD, 20873, USA.
authors.forename: Jeffrey S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Pulskamp
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, 2350 Hayward Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2122, USA.
authors.forename: Xianke
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, 2350 Hayward Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2122, USA.
authors.forename: Choong-Ho
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Rhee
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, 2200 Bonisteel Dr., Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2099, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: U.S. Army Research Laboratory, Sensors and Electron Devices Directorate, 2800 Powder Mill Rd., Adelphi, MD, 20873, USA.
authors.forename: Ronald G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Polcawich
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, 2350 Hayward Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2122, USA.
authors.forename: Kenn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Oldham