Fabrication and electro-thermo-mechanical characterization of a hot arm actuator

Abstract This study presents the fabrication and characterization of a MEMS-based hot arm actuator that utilizes Joule heating-induced thermal expansion for lateral displacement. The actuator was fabricated through a series of micro-fabrication processes including photolithography, e-beam evaporation, and plasma ashing. Electro-thermal and electro-thermo-mechanical characteristics were experimentally analyzed and compared with finite element analysis (FEA) simulations. The actuator demonstrated fast thermal response (~100 μs), high repeatability, and effective displacement (> 10 μm) under low-voltage operation (< 0.6 V). These findings highlight its potential application in fast-switching optical MEMS systems.