Projects per year
Abstract
In this paper, we develop and characterise the use of amorphous Silicon as an optically functional material in actuated devices. A novel actuator is developed which uses thin amorphous silicon film deposited on a polyimide substrate using Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition (PECVD). The actuator generates an active stroke via electrostatic attraction which causes the electrodes to “zip” together. The magnitude of displacement is controlled by exploiting the light-dependant resistance of an amorphous silicon (a-Si) photoreceptor integrated onto the actuator. An 8mm long actuator was prototyped and curvature changes were measured using image processing techniques to track the amorphous silicon electrode during actuation. A change of radius of 1mm was found between the ambient (22 Lux) and illuminated states (36 kLux) with an applied voltage of 5 kV.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Proceedings of the SPIE, Electroactive Polymer Actuators and Devices (EAPAD) XXII |
Publisher | Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE) |
Volume | 11375 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 26 Apr 2020 |
Event | SPIE Smart Structures + Nondestructive Evaluation - Online Duration: 27 Apr 2020 → 8 May 2020 https://spie.org/conferences-and-exhibitions/smart-structures/nde?SSO=1 |
Conference
Conference | SPIE Smart Structures + Nondestructive Evaluation |
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Period | 27/04/20 → 8/05/20 |
Internet address |
Bibliographical note
Acceptance date is provisional and based on date of publication.Keywords
- amorphous silicon
- actuator
- compliant actuators
- optically functional
- thin films
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Dive into the research topics of 'Switching of amorphous silicon thin-film actuators for optically functional robotic devices'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Projects
- 1 Finished
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Integrated compliant actuation for untethered soft robotic systems
1/10/17 → 21/12/18
Project: Research