Fully integrated electromagnetic actuator using resin-bonded NdFeB micromagnets

Abstract

This paper presents the fabrication and characterization of a novel fully integrated electromagnetic actuator using resin-bonded NdFeB micromagnets. The whole architecture is formed using the surface micromachining technology with a laminated photoresist sacrificial layer process on quartz substrate. Thanks to the MEMS compatible fabrication process, the volume of the fabricated actuator is only about 10 mm3, which makes it one of the smallest electromagnetic actuators reported to date. By altering the direction of the input current, the actuating displacements of approximately ±10 μm in both attraction and repulsion could be achieved. This serves to demonstrate the viability and compatibility of using polymer-bonded magnets for MEMS applications.