Reliability improvement in microstructures by reducing the impact velocity through electrostatic force modulation

The contact problem in microstructures with electrostatic actuation is the topic of this study. High impact velocity between the electrodes is responsible for surfaces damaging and initiation of failure mechanisms. An open-loop strategy to reduce the impact velocity by modifying the shape of actuation force is presented and validated by experimental measurements in the time domain. An analytic estimation of the velocity is also provided, according to the conservation of energy.