Abstract
In this paper, we give the reasons for the phenomenon of adhesion of U-shaped electrothermal actuators onto substrates which is commonly observed for such devices. Next, we identified a significant advantage for operating these U-shaped actuators on top of a polysilicon layer with a suitable pattern design. A thorough investigation on the deflection behavior of actuators with different dimensional parameters, i.e., cold arm width, flexural beam length and hot arm length, was carried out. Finally, we discussed the effects of electrostatic force on the actuator due to these parameters. Based on these analyses, we suggested optimized dimensions for the U-shaped actuator.