INTEGRATED FORCE ARRAYS - THEORY AND MODELING OF STATIC OPERATION

Integrated force arrays (IFA's) are a novel means of microelectromecha nical actuation. They are membrances that consist of thousands of micr on-scale deformable capacitors and are capable of contraction and forc e exertion in one dimension by application of an applied voltage. The theory and modeling of the static operation of a representative unit d evice and an array is presented, The electrostatic and elastic forces present in the system are considered and classical beam theory and sup erposition are applied to calculate the voltage-induced closure and fo rce generation of the networks without the aid of finite element analy sis. It is shown that contraction and force generation are expected at reasonable voltages for these modular structures: Ideal system contra ction on the order of 40% is possible and minimum external forces of 4 500 mu N/mm(2) are expected with the application of 50 V.