Assessment Criterion of Rigidity of Comb Electrodes Fingers of Microelectromechanical Converters

The assessment criterion of rigidity of comb electrodes fingers of the microelectromechanical converters is developed. The assessment criterion allows to estimate the maximum electrodes fingers length to decrease approach probability of snap-down effect. The modeling results have been analyzed. The estimations of the maximum length of electrodes fingers are obtained. The estimates depend on length of electrodes fingers overlapping and applied voltage. The dependences of the maximum length of comb electrodes fingers on length of their overlapping and applied voltage are showed. Since all of the electromechanical converters are reversible, i.e. the converters can work as electrostatic actuators, as well as capacitive displacement transducers. If certain conditions occurs, the capacitive displacement transducers will start to work like electrostatic actuators. The criteria allowed to define these invertibility condition can be obtained from the equilibrium equations of sensitive elements of micromechanical devices. The proposed assessment criterion of the maximum length of combs electrodes fingers can be used to design micromechanical devices.