Analytical study on size-dependent static pull-in voltage of microcantilevers using the modified couple stress theory

In this paper an analytical solution for size-dependent response of cantilever micro-beams is presented. Using the modified couple stress theory, the small scale effects are accounted for. Employing the Modified Variational Iteration Method, efficient and accurate analytical expressions for the deflection of the micro-beam are presented. Very good agreement is observed between the present work results and available experimental data. This study may be helpful to characterize the size-dependent mechanical properties of MEMS. Consequently, the proposed analytical solution can be used as an efficient tool for studying the effects of the material or geometrical parameters on small scale devices consisting of micro-beams for their design and optimization which requires a large number of simulations.