Development of Co-Integrated Shape Memory Actuators for Silicon Micro- and Nanomechanics

The unique properties of shape memory alloy (SMA) films like highest work densities up to 10(exp 7) Jm(exp -3) and favorable downscaling of actuation performance are of special interest for the development of actuators at ultra-small scale. Here, we present a novel approach to combine SMA film deposition and structuring technologies with silicon technology to enable the co-integration of SMA actuators and silicon-on-insulator (SOI) micro- and nanostructures. Double-beam cantilevers are chosen for the actuator layout to enable electro-thermal actuation by Joule heating. The SMA materials under investigation are TiNiCu films deposited by magnetron sputtering. Electrical resistance and deflection characteristics on TiNiCu/Si nanoactuators are presented to demonstrate the feasibility of the fabrication approach.