Micromachined piezoelectric elastic force motor (EFM)

Abstract

This paper will focus on the fabrication and characterization of two types of piezoelectric motors based on the elastic force motor principle. The initial motivation for this work was the development of a motor for wristwatch applications, combining high torque (1 /spl mu/m) with low power consumption (10 /spl mu/W) and small dimensions. Previously reported motors were based on a hybrid assembly of a copper-beryllium rotor, obtained by laser cutting, and a stator consisting of a circular membrane, clamped along its border. The membrane was anisotropically etched in silicon and covered with either ZnO or PZT. We report on an improved and further miniaturized version with fully microfabricated rotors and a new stator design.