Single Mask and Large Amplification Electrothermal Microgripper

The paper presents a new electrothermal microgripper with a large amplification ratio and a single photo mask. This microgripper is designed with the 40‐μm‐stroke, which is 3.33 times larger than displacement of the driving V‐shaped actuator. It is successfully fabricated by using SOI‐MEMS technology, with an additional platinum sputtering step to reduce equivalent resistance of V‐beams system as well as the power consumption. The experimental displacement has been tested and compared with nonlinear calculations and simulation results. At a driving voltage of 10 V, the microgripper achieved a displacement of 36 μm, compared to the calculated and simulated values of 45.3 and 40.9 µm, respectively.