The present disclosure relates to a spatio-temporal stimulus responsive foldable structure. The structure may have a substrate having at least a region formed to provide engineered weakness to help facilitate bending or folding of the substrate about the region of engineered weakness. The substrate is formed to have a first shape. A stimulus responsive polymer (SRP) flexure is disposed at the region of engineered weakness. The SRP flexure is responsive to a predetermined stimulus actuation signal to bend or fold in response to exposure to the stimulus actuation signal, to cause the substrate to assume a second shape different from the first shape.

Methods, apparatuses, and methods of manufacture are described that provide one or more fixed blades mounted to a frame or substrate, one or more movable blades mounted to each structure to be moved, and flexures on which the structures are suspended which reduces moment of inertia during use.

The present disclosure relates to a spatio-temporal stimulus responsive foldable structure. The structure may have a substrate having at least a region formed to provide engineered weakness to help facilitate bending or folding of the substrate about the region of engineered weakness. The substrate is formed to have a first shape. A stimulus responsive polymer (SRP) flexure is disposed at the region of engineered weakness. The SRP flexure is responsive to a predetermined stimulus actuation signal to bend or fold in response to exposure to the stimulus actuation signal, to cause the substrate to assume a second shape different from the first shape.

The invention relates to a microelectromechanical drive for moving an object, having electrostatic bending actuators, wherein each electrostatic bending actuator has a cantilever having at least one active element which has a layer stack forming at least one capacitor positioned offset to a center-of-gravity-plane of the cantilever which leads alongside a longitudinal axis of the cantilever from a supported end of the cantilever to a loose end, which is averted from the supported end of the cantilever and which has a contact area for engaging with the object.

The microelectromechanical drive can be used to displace any target objects from nanoscopic to macroscopic sizes that are within the force-displacement configurations of the electrostatic bending actuators. The microelectromechanical drive is suited to act as an inchworm drive.

A piezoelectric actuator comprises a substrate, an insulator layer on the substrate, and a piezo actuator stack on the insulator layer. The piezo actuator stack comprises an insulator-adjacent electrode on the insulator layer. A piezo layer having a tapered sidewall resides on a portion of the insulator-adjacent electrode. An insulator-distal electrode on the piezo layer having a taper-adjacent edge offset from an intersection of the tapered sidewall of the piezo layer and the insulator-adjacent electrode.

The invention relates to a method of assembling mobile micro-machines comprising a main body and at least one actuating element, wherein the method comprises the steps of defining a 3D-shape of elements of the mobile micro-machines, the elements comprising components such as the main body and/or the at least one actuating element; fabricating said elements, said step of fabrication comprising at least the fabrication of the main body, the main body comprising one or more edges; and assembling said mobile micro-machines by applying an external electric field, wherein said external electric field forms electric field gradients at said one or more edges and wherein said gradients attract said actuating element so that the main body and the at least one actuating element self-assemble into a micro-machine at said one or more edges. The invention further relates to a mobile micro-machine.

The MEMS actuator is formed by a substrate, which surrounds a cavity; by a deformable structure suspended on the cavity; by an actuation structure formed by a first piezoelectric region of a first piezoelectric material, supported by the deformable structure and configured to cause a deformation of the deformable structure; and by a detection structure formed by a second piezoelectric region of a second piezoelectric material, supported by the deformable structure and configured to detect the deformation of the deformable structure.

A method for producing a microelectronic device, in particular a MEMS chip device, comprising at least one carrier substrate. At least one electrodynamic actuator made of a metal conductor formed at least largely of copper is applied to the carrier substrate in at least one method step. At least one piezoelectric actuator is applied to the carrier substrate in at least one further method step.

A semiconductor structure includes a substrate; a sensing device disposed over the substrate and including a plurality of protruding members protruded from the sensing device; a sensing structure disposed adjacent to the sensing device and including a plurality of sensing electrodes protruded from the sensing structure towards the sensing device; and an actuating structure disposed adjacent to the sensing device and configured to provide an electrostatic force on the sensing device based on a feedback from the sensing structure. Further, a method of manufacturing the semiconductor structure is also disclosed.

A planar micromechanical actuator suspended on opposing suspension zones including a neutral axis between the opposing suspension zones, first to fourth segments into which the planar micromechanical actuator is segmented between the opposing suspension zones, each including a first electrode and a second electrode which form a capacitor and are isolatedly affixed to each other at opposite ends of the respective segment along a direction between the opposing suspension zones so as to form a gap between the first and second electrode along a thickness direction, the gap being offset to the neutral axis along the thickness direction, and wherein the first to fourth segments are configured such that the planar micromechanical actuator deflects into the thickness direction by the first and fourth segment bending into the thickness direction and the second and third segments bending contrary to the thickness direction upon a voltage being applied to the first and second electrodes of the first to fourth segments.