EP1026718B1 - Electrostatically controlled micro-relay device - Google Patents

Electrostatically controlled micro-relay device Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1026718B1
EP1026718B1 EP19990830731 EP99830731A EP1026718B1 EP 1026718 B1 EP1026718 B1 EP 1026718B1 EP 19990830731 EP19990830731 EP 19990830731 EP 99830731 A EP99830731 A EP 99830731A EP 1026718 B1 EP1026718 B1 EP 1026718B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
electrode
petal
supporting base
relay device
micro
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP19990830731
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP1026718A2 (en
EP1026718A3 (en
Inventor
Marco Pizzi
Valerian Koniachkine
Piero Perlo
Sabino Sinesi
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Centro Ricerche Fiat SCpA
Original Assignee
Centro Ricerche Fiat SCpA
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Centro Ricerche Fiat SCpA filed Critical Centro Ricerche Fiat SCpA
Publication of EP1026718A2 publication Critical patent/EP1026718A2/en
Publication of EP1026718A3 publication Critical patent/EP1026718A3/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP1026718B1 publication Critical patent/EP1026718B1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H59/00—Electrostatic relays; Electro-adhesion relays
    • H01H59/0009—Electrostatic relays; Electro-adhesion relays making use of micromechanics
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H1/00—Contacts
    • H01H1/12—Contacts characterised by the manner in which co-operating contacts engage
    • H01H1/14—Contacts characterised by the manner in which co-operating contacts engage by abutting
    • H01H1/20—Bridging contacts
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01H—ELECTRIC SWITCHES; RELAYS; SELECTORS; EMERGENCY PROTECTIVE DEVICES
    • H01H59/00—Electrostatic relays; Electro-adhesion relays
    • H01H59/0009—Electrostatic relays; Electro-adhesion relays making use of micromechanics
    • H01H2059/0081—Electrostatic relays; Electro-adhesion relays making use of micromechanics with a tapered air-gap between fixed and movable electrodes

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to an electrostatically controlled micro-relay device.
  • electrostatic motors having low power and small dimensions suitable for use as actuators in microelectronic technology applications, for actuating mechanical devices and the like in conditions in which vibrations take place, such as in the automotive field.
  • electrostatical actuators make use of flexible blades, also called cilia, or "petals”, which are electrically conductive, each having one end associated with a stator and the opposite end adjacent to a movable element.
  • the application of voltage pulses between the petals and one electrode associated to the movable element causes adhesion by electrostatical effect of the petals to the movable element with a resulting movement of the latter relative to the stator.
  • the invention is directed in particular to a device as set forth in the pre-characterizing portion of claim 1.
  • a device of this type is disclosed in DE 197 30 715 C.
  • the object of the present invention is that of proposing a new improved type of micro-relay.
  • the invention provides a micro-relay device characterised in that it comprising:
  • numeral 1 generally designates a device comprising two electrostatic micro-relays.
  • the device 1 comprises a supporting base or substrate 2, and a movable part 3.
  • the supporting base 2 is constituted by a leaf 4 of alumina, silicon, glass, or plastic material, depending upon the applications, having a thickness of a few millimeters.
  • leaf 4 two separate electrodes 5, 6 are provided, such as by evaporation, sputtering, spin-coating or screenprinting. Subsequently the surface is insulated by a layer 7 of dielectric or ferroelectric material having a thickness between one tenth and a few tens of micrometers.
  • the movable part 3 is constituted by a petal 8 in form of a metal film, provided by evaporation or sputtering, having a thickness of a few micrometers and a length between a few hundreds of micrometers and a few millimeters.
  • a petal 8 in form of a metal film, provided by evaporation or sputtering, having a thickness of a few micrometers and a length between a few hundreds of micrometers and a few millimeters.
  • two layers of insulating dielectric material 9 are provided having a thickness of a few micrometers.
  • two bars 10 of electrically conductive material, acting as movable contacts are subsequently provided by evaporation or electrode deposition.
  • the movable contacts 10 have a thickness of a few hundreds of micrometers, depending upon the electric current which is to be supplied through them.
  • Petal 8 is secured at both its ends on the surface of base 2.
  • petal 8 may be applied also to the case in which one petal 8 is provided having a single movable contact 10 and co-operating with a single electrode 5, associated with a single pair of movable contacts 11. It is further apparent that petal 8 may have any shape and be connected to the fixed part of the device even only at one end thereof.

Landscapes

  • Selective Calling Equipment (AREA)
  • Push-Button Switches (AREA)
  • Relay Circuits (AREA)
  • Manufacture Of Switches (AREA)
  • Micromachines (AREA)
EP19990830731 1999-02-02 1999-11-25 Electrostatically controlled micro-relay device Expired - Lifetime EP1026718B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
ITTO990072 IT1307131B1 (it) 1999-02-02 1999-02-02 Dispositivo di micro-rele' a controllo elettrostatico.
ITTO990072 1999-02-02

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1026718A2 EP1026718A2 (en) 2000-08-09
EP1026718A3 EP1026718A3 (en) 2001-09-12
EP1026718B1 true EP1026718B1 (en) 2003-02-05

Family

ID=11417411

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP19990830731 Expired - Lifetime EP1026718B1 (en) 1999-02-02 1999-11-25 Electrostatically controlled micro-relay device

Country Status (4)

Country Link
EP (1) EP1026718B1 (es)
DE (1) DE69905233T2 (es)
ES (1) ES2189379T3 (es)
IT (1) IT1307131B1 (es)

Families Citing this family (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE10040867A1 (de) * 2000-08-21 2002-05-23 Abb Research Ltd Mikroschalter
FR2854726B1 (fr) * 2003-05-09 2005-08-26 St Microelectronics Sa Microcommutateur a plusieurs positions fermees a deplacement lateral
DE102004010150B9 (de) * 2004-02-27 2012-01-26 Eads Deutschland Gmbh Hochfrequenz-MEMS-Schalter mit gebogenem Schaltelement und Verfahren zu seiner Herstellung
KR100693345B1 (ko) * 2005-11-30 2007-03-09 삼성전자주식회사 Ｍｅｍｓ 스위치

Family Cites Families (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE19730715C1 (de) * 1996-11-12 1998-11-26 Fraunhofer Ges Forschung Verfahren zum Herstellen eines mikromechanischen Relais
JPH10162713A (ja) * 1996-11-29 1998-06-19 Omron Corp マイクロリレー
DE19736674C1 (de) * 1997-08-22 1998-11-26 Siemens Ag Mikromechanisches elektrostatisches Relais und Verfahren zu dessen Herstellung

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
DE69905233D1 (de) 2003-03-13
EP1026718A2 (en) 2000-08-09
ITTO990072A1 (it) 2000-08-02
ES2189379T3 (es) 2003-07-01
DE69905233T2 (de) 2003-11-06
IT1307131B1 (it) 2001-10-29
EP1026718A3 (en) 2001-09-12

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