This paper reports the results of numerical nonlinear electro-thermo-mechanical analysis and experimental testing of a polymeric microgripper designed using electrothermal actuators. The simulation work was carried out using a finite element method (FEM) and a commercial software (Coventorware 2014). The biocompatible SU-8 polymer was used as structural material for the fabrication of the microgripper. The metallic micro-heater was encapsulated in the polymeric actuation structures of the microgripper to reduce the undesirable out-of-plane displacement of the microgripper tips, and to electrically isolate the micro-heater, and to reduce the mechanical stress as well as to improve the thermal efficiency. The electrothermo-mechanical analysis of the actuator considers the nonlinear temperature-dependent properties of the SU-8 polymer and the gold thin film layers used for the micro-heater fabrication. An optical characterisation of the microgripper based on an image tracking approach shows the thermal response and the good repeatability. The average deflection is ~11 µm for an actuation current of ~17 mA. The experimentally obtained tip deflection and the heater temperature at different currents are both shown to be in good agreement with the nonlinear electro-thermo-mechanical simulation results. Finally, we demonstrate the capability of the microgripper by capture and manipulation of cotton fibres.

This study presents the effect of temperature on the mechanical and tribological properties of SU-8 polymer. The temperature of investigated samples increasing during testing and the variation of mechanical and tribological properties were monitored. The samples for tests were SU-8 hard baked at different temperatures. The hard bake temperature changes the mechanical and tribological properties of polymers. The aim of this research work is the reliability design improvement of SU-8 microstructures from electro-thermally actuated devices where a thermal gradient produces the softening and modification of SU-8 behavior. As a function of the hard baked temperature, different mechanical and tribological properties were experimentally determined using the atomic force microscopy (AFM) technique. The mechanical properties of interest are the modulus of elasticity and hardness. The investigated tribological properties involve the adhesion and friction forces. The modulus of elasticity and hardness decrease if the operating temperature increases based on the thermal relaxation of material and their viscoelastic behavior. The adhesion force between AFM tip and investigated samples increases if the operating temperature increases, respectively. The same evolution was experimentally observed in the case of friction force. Moreover, for the same testing temperature, the modulus of elasticity and hardness increase, and the adhesion and friction forces decrease if the SU-8 is hard baked at high temperature.

This paper presents the numerical simulation results and the experimental investigations of a polymeric microgripper designed using the cascaded V-shaped electrothermal actuators. The microgripper was simulated using electro-thermo-mechanical finite element method (FEM) based on Coventorware 2014 software in order to check the performance of the gripper. As structural material of the microgripper, the SU-8 biocompatible polymer was used during the fabrication process. The metallic micro-heaters were encapsulated in the polymeric actuation structures of the microgrippers to reduce the undesirable out-of-plane displacement of the gripper tips, to reduce the mechanical stress and to improve the thermal efficiency. Experimental testing has been performed to determine the openings of the microgripper tips as function of electrical current. A displacement of the tips of more than 50 pm can be obtained at an electrical current of around 25-26 mA. Over 27-28 mA the heaters are still working but a softening and a damaging status in the polymer were observed.