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US 4,864,824 AGranted
Thin film shape memory alloy and method for producing
AssigneeAmerican Telephone and Telegraph Company, AT&T Bell Laboratories
InventorsKaigham J. Gabriel, Mehran Mehregany, James A. Walker
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Abstract
An actuator including a device made of thin film shape memory material mounted to a substrate. The thin film device is deformed from its original shape. Thereafter, the device is heated to restore the device to its original shape. Motion of the device occurs in the deforming and restoring steps, which is used to produce some form of work result.
Claims20
An actuator comprising
- a substrate,
- a first thin film device deposited onto the substrate, the device being made of a shape memory material having the property of restoration to an original shape when heated above a first temperature after being deformed while below a second temperature, the device being fixedly connected to the substrate at at least one location,
- means for deforming the thin film device while it is below the second temperature, and
- means for heating the device to a temperature above the first temperature.
1 more element
A process of manufacturing a thin film actuating device comprising the steps of
- (a) depositing onto a substrate a sacrificial layer of material,
- (b) depositing onto exposed sections of the substrate and onto the sacrificial layer a film of a shape memory material having the property of restoration to an original shape when heated above a first temperature after being deformed while below a second temperature,
- (c) selectively removing said film by photolithographic methods to make a deformable device, said device extending past the sacrificial layer and thereby contacting the substrate at some location, and
- (d) removing the sacrificial layer.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.