Tilting micromirror platform based on liquid dielectrophoresis

Frozanpoor, Iman; Cooke, Michael; Alvarez-Ruiz, Diana; Ambukan, Vibin; Gallant, Andrew; Balocco, Claudio

Abstract

This study presents an electrically actuated tilting micro platform based on liquid dielectrophoresis with three axes movement using three droplets situated 120° apart from each other. The interdigitated electrodes produce a non-uniform electric field that generates a body force. The dielectrophoretic mechanism is responsive within at least 30 ms, and it eliminates the solid-solid contact. The tilting platform enabled an angular coverage up to 0.9° (±0.02°), with a maximum displacement of 120 µm. The tilting micromirror platform has beam steering characteristics suitable for various optical applications. The actuating platform sensor is a cost-effective and simple alternative method to study liquid dielectrophoresis without measuring the droplet contact angle. Furthermore, the unique configuration without any solid-solid contact offers a potential improvement for applications in optics, actuators, and other conventional microelectromechanical systems.

Citation

Frozanpoor, I., Cooke, M., Alvarez-Ruiz, D., Ambukan, V., Gallant, A., & Balocco, C. (2021). Tilting micromirror platform based on liquid dielectrophoresis. Sensors and Actuators A: Physical, 332(2), Article 113177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sna.2021.113177

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 12, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Dec 7, 2021
• Publication Date: Dec 1, 2021
• Deposit Date: Nov 12, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 25, 2021
• Journal: Sensors and Actuators A: Physical
• Print ISSN: 0924-4247
• Electronic ISSN: 1873-3069
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 332
• Issue: 2
• Article Number: 113177
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sna.2021.113177
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1223315