Thinfilm technologies to fabricate a linear microactuator

The design selected for the microactuator is a three phase variable relucta nce (VR) stepping motor with teeth. The stator consists of a flux guide, th ree groups of poles with teeth, and meander type coils for exciting each gr oup of poles. The system's traveler is built up by a flux guide and teeth. For a good actuator's performance the electroplated magnetic structures' pr operties have to be optimized. To reach a small air gap that all VR-motors require, the microactuator's surface needs a very low roughness. Therefore, to fabricate the microactuator in thinfilm technology the most important s teps are electroplating the structures and embedding these structures for f inal planarization. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.