Dynamics of Thin Film NiTi Cantilevers on Si

Abstract

ABSTRACTAlthough the thermo-mechanical properties of NiTi are well known for bulk material, its deposition and utilization as a thin film are still in their earliest stages of research. The deposition of thin-films of Shape Memory Effect NiTi onto Si(100) wafers offers several advantages over bulk NiTi, including fast response times and comparatively large transformation forces. This has made it a promising candidate material as micro-actuators for Micro-Electro-Mechanical (MEMS) systems as well as for strain measurements. The cycling time for actuation was measured for a 20 μm free standing NiTi thin film cantilever. It was demonstrated that cycling frequencies of up to 50 Hz are achievable.