Mass-fabrication compatible mechanism for converting in-plane to out-of-plane motion

Abstract

We present a mechanism that converts in-plane to out-of-plane motion, which is fully compatible with standard mass-fabrication methods. The mechanism harnesses the well-established in-plane actuation achieved by comb-drives, and converts it to out-of-plane motion. The motion conversion ratio is constant (i.e. linear conversion), and it can be easily tuned by adding or subtracting modular elements, in an otherwise unchanged design planform. We experimentally demonstrate the linearity of the mechanism, and use dedicated test devices to show the tunability of the conversion ratio. With a different test device, we demonstrate parallel out-of-plane motion of a flat stage. The measurements of this device show good agreement with model predictions.