| US 7,522,029 B1 | ||
| Phase change actuator | ||
| Mark Alfred Lantz, Adliswil (Switzerland) | ||
| Assigned to International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, N.Y. (US) | ||
| Filed on Jul. 24, 2008, as Appl. No. 12/179,302. | ||
| Int. Cl. H01H 37/46 (2006.01); F03G 7/06 (2006.01) | ||
| U.S. Cl. 337—139 [337/393] | 1 Claim |
| 1. An actuator comprising:
a base portion;
a cantilever beam connected to the base portion; and
an actuator cell adjacent to the cantilever beam, the actuator cell comprising:
a first metal electrode positioned on the cantilevered beam;
a second metal electrode positioned near the first metal electrode; and
phase change material between the first and second metal electrodes, connecting the first and second metal electrodes, wherein
applying a burst of energy to the phase change material causes the phase change material to change between an amorphous state
and a crystalline state, causing the cantilevered beam to move between a first position and a target position, and wherein
the cantilevered beam remains at the target position upon removal of the energy.
|