FEM assisted design and simulation of novel electrothermal actuators

In this work the authors present the design, simulation, and experimental results of novel electrothermal actuators, such as the trimorph actuator for out-of-plane motion, the coupled in-plane actuator for in-plane motion and an actuator providing combined in- and out-of-plane motion that have been developed for tribological studies. They can be easily embedded into complex MEMS devices due to the materials, which have been used for the fabrication. FEM simulations and experiments showed that the actuators are able to provide large forces to overcome adhesion and stiction