Unilateral thermal buckle-beam actuator

A thermal microelectrical mechanical actuator, comprising:

• a planar substrate with a pair of anchors secured thereto;
• plural elongated thermal half-beams each have a base end secured to one of the anchors and a distal end secured to an in-plane shuttle having a length, the thermal half-beams having base ends secured to the pair of anchors being generally parallel to each other,
• an elongate floating cold beam that is transverse to the length of the in-plane shuttle, the floating cold beam being coupled at one end to the in-plane shuttle and at another end to the substrate;
• and
• electrical couplings to direct electrical current through the thermal half beams via the anchors to impart thermal expansion of the thermal half-beams and motion of their distal ends.

A thermal microelectrical mechanical actuator, comprising:

• a planar substrate with first and second anchors secured thereto;
• an in-plane shuttle floating on the substrate for motion parallel to the planar substrate;
• plural elongated thermal half-beams that each have a base end secured to the first anchor and a distal end secured to the in-plane shuttle, the thermal half-beams being tapered from their centers toward their ends;
• plural elongated thermal half-beams that each have a base end secured to the second anchor and a distal end secured to the in-plane shuttle;
• and
• electrical couplings to direct electrical current through the thermal half beams via the anchors to impart thermal expansion of the thermal half-beams and motion of their distal ends.