Abstract: The present disclosure is broadly directed to a method for designing new MEMS micro-movers, particularly suited for, but not limited to, CMOS fabrication techniques, that are capable of large lateral displacement for tuning capacitors, fabricating capacitors, self-assembly of small gaps in CMOS processes, fabricating latching structures and other applications where lateral micro-positioning on the order of up to 10 ?m, or greater, is desired. Principles of self-assembly and electro-thermal actuation are used for designing micro-movers. In self-assembly, motion is induced in specific beams by designing a lateral effective residual stress gradient within the beams. The lateral residual stress gradient arises from purposefully offsetting certain layers of one material versus another material. For example, lower metal layers may be side by side with dielectric layers, both of which are positioned beneath a top metal layer of a CMOS-MEMS beam.

Abstract: The present disclosure is broadly directed to a method for designing new MEMS micro-movers, particularly suited for, but not limited to, CMOS fabrication techniques, that are capable of large lateral displacement for tuning capacitors, fabricating capacitors, self-assembly of small gaps in CMOS processes, fabricating latching structures and other applications where lateral micro-positioning on the order of up to 10 ?m, or greater, is desired. Principles of self-assembly and electro-thermal actuation are used for designing micro-movers. In self-assembly, motion is induced in specific beams by designing a lateral effective residual stress gradient within the beams. The lateral residual stress gradient arises from purposefully offsetting certain layers of one material versus another material. For example, lower metal layers may be side by side with dielectric layers, both of which are positioned beneath a top metal layer of a CMOS-MEMS beam.