Linear motors based on piezoelectric MEMS

: This paper reports the design, fabrication and performance of MEMS-based piezoelectric bidirectional conveyors featuring 3D printed legs in bridge resonators. The structures consisted of aluminium-nitride (AlN) piezoelectric film on top of millimetre-sized rectangular thin silicon bridges and two electrode patches. The position and size of the patches were analytically optimised for the wave generation, while the addition of 3D-printed legs, for a controlled contact, allowed for a further step into the manufacturing of efficient linear motors. Such hybrid devices have recently demonstrated the conveyance of sliders – surpassing several times the motor weight – with speeds of 1.7 mm/s, while operated at 6 V and 19.3kHz. However, by the optimisation of various aspects of the device such as the vibrational modes and excitation signals speeds above 25 mm/s were demonstrated.