Patent Application
20100001666
The invention relates to a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) comprising ciliary actuators that are electrically driven. Moreover, it relates to a method for controlling such a system and to a use of such a system.
In literature, an actuator has been described comprising a flexible electrode that can completely roll-out upon application of a voltage (Dirk J. Broer, Henk van Houten, Martin Ouwerkerk, Jaap M. J. den Toonder, Paul van der Sluis, Stephen I. Klink, Rifat A. M. Hikmet, Ruud Balkenende: “Smart Materials, Chapter 4 in True Visions: Tales on the Realization of Ambient Intelligence”, ed. by Emile Aarts and José Encamaçao, Springer Verlag (2005), which is enclosed to the present application by reference). An array of such actuators may particularly be used in microfluidic systems for fluid manipulation.
Based on this situation it was an object of the present invention to provide means for a more elaborate control of a micro-electro-mechanical actuator, particularly an actuator that is suited for moving a fluid in a microfluidic system.
This object is achieved by micro-electro-mechanical system according to claim 1, a method according to claim 21, and the use according to claim 28. Preferred embodiments are disclosed in the dependent claims.
The micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) according to the present invention may particularly (but not exclusively) be used in a microfluidic system for moving a fluid for purposes of mixing and/or transportation. The MEMS comprises the following components:
a) An “actuator” that comprises a “flexible electrode unit” and a “stationary electrode unit” which each can comprise one or more single electrodes together with additional components (e.g. carrier materials or intermediate layers). Moreover, the flexible electrode unit is designed in such a way that it can assume a totally rolled-up state and a totally rolled-out state upon application of appropriate electrical signals to the actuator. The electrical signals may particularly comprise voltages and/or charges, wherein here and in the following expressions like “application of a voltage to the actuator” shall be a simplified notation for the “application of a voltage between the flexible electrode unit and the stationary electrode unit” and the like.
The flexible electrode unit will typically have the shape of a strip that is fixed at one end and that rolls up in its natural state, i.e. if no voltage is applied to the actuator; if a voltage above a given limit is applied to the actuator, the flexible electrode unit will roll out and extend to a stretched configuration in which it comes in closest possible contact to the stationary electrode (though remaining electrically isolated from it) by which it is electrically attracted. The actuator may particularly be a polymer micro-electro-mechanical system as it is described in literature. The actuator will sometimes be called “ciliary actuator” due to its kinship with cilia in biological systems.
b) A “control system” for selectively driving the aforementioned actuator to at least one stable “intermediate state” in which (by definition) the flexible electrode unit is in a rolling configuration between the totally rolled-up and the totally rolled-out state. The “stability” of the intermediate state shall mean in this context that this state is not only transiently passed when the actuator moves from a rolled-up to a rolled-out configuration or vice versa (which is of course the case for every such ciliary actuator), but that it can selectively be assumed for longer times than during such a transient passage; typically, the intermediate state can be assumed arbitrarily long depending on the applied control commands.
The described micro-electro-mechanical system has the advantage that it allows for a broadened spectrum of applications of the actuator because at least one intermediate rolling state can selectively be assumed additionally to the two extreme configurations (totally rolled-up or rolled-out). Thus a fine-tuning of the actuator effects becomes possible.
While the MEMS according to the present invention can in the simplest case comprise just one ciliary actuator, it will typically comprise a plurality of such actuators to allow coordinated or uncoordinated manipulations in larger areas or volumes. Preferably, the MEMS comprises an array (i.e. a one-, two-, or three-dimensional spatial arrangement) of many actuators of the kind described above, wherein said actuators may optionally be of identical design or not. Moreover, the control system will preferably be composed in this case of “local drivers” that are associated with the actuators (typically in a one-to-one relation, but possibly also in designs in which several actuators share one local driver or vice versa) and of an “external control module” that is located outside the array of actuators.
According to a further development of the aforementioned embodiment, the external control module is coupled to the local drivers in an active or passive matrix arrangement via address lines and data lines that cross at each local driver. Matrix arrangements of this kind are well known to persons skilled in the art for example from the technology of liquid crystal displays (LCDs). The address lines of such matrix arrangements typically run in parallel rows across the array, while the data lines run perpendicular thereto and parallel to each other in columns across the array. At each crossing point of an address line and a data line, a local driver circuit is connected to these lines in such a way that it can selectively be accessed by the external control module if the mentioned address line and data line are both “active”. While the signals on the address lines typically serve only for the selection of the local drivers in a certain row of the actuator array, the signal on a data line (e.g. a voltage or a current) typically represents some kind of information that has to be passed on to the associated local driver. In an active matrix (in contrast to a passive matrix), said information passed from a data line to the local driver is preserved there (until it is overwritten) even if that particular local driver is no longer addressed for an access from the external control module.
In the following, a class of particular embodiments of the present invention will be discussed which are characterized in that the control system is adapted to drive the actuator to a stable state in which a given final voltage and/or a given final charge difference prevails between the flexible electrode unit and the stationary electrode unit (in these embodiments, the flexible and the stationary electrode unit will typically comprise just one single electrode each). As will be explained in detail with reference to the Figs., this design relies on the fact that the degree of rolling-up or rolling-out of a ciliary actuator depends uniquely on the charge difference between the flexible and the stationary electrode unit. Because the actuator can be seen as a capacitor with a variable capacitance that changes in accordance with the rolling state of the flexible electrode unit, the aforementioned charge difference corresponds to what is usually called “the charge stored on a capacitor” (strictly speaking, the charge difference is the double of the charge stored on the capacitor, because for each electron that is stored on one electrode of the capacitor one electron is removed from the counter electrode). Moreover, it is known that there is a fixed relation Q=C·V between the charge Q, the capacitance C, and the voltage V of a capacitor. In summary, the final charge stored on an actuator (seen as a capacitor) and the final voltage across this actuator in its associated stable resting state are both uniquely related to the rolling state of the actuator. Control of the final charge or the final voltage of the actuator is therefore tantamount to the control of its rolling state.
In a first particular realization of the aforementioned approach, the control system is adapted to apply repeatedly the given final voltage to the actuator for durations that are shorter than the mechanical reaction time of the actuator. While it will in principle suffice to clamp an actuator to a constant voltage source and wait until it assumes a mechanically stable state with the applied final voltage prevailing across it (i.e. between the flexible and the stationary electrode unit), this simple solution is unfavorable in actuator arrays with a more or less large number of actuators that have to be individually controlled in the shortest possible time. Applying the given final voltage repeatedly for only very short pulse durations to the actuator solves this problem, because the slow movement of the actuator to a new rolling state, that is induced by the charge transferred to the actuator during a first pulse, can happen in the time until the next voltage pulse is applied, wherein the control system can already access other actuators during this time. When the second voltage pulse is applied, the considered actuator has (at least approximately) assumed its new stable rolling state, and the associated change of its capacity allows the control system a further transfer of charge with the same voltage as during the first pulse. In this way, the repeated application of the final voltage will bring the actuator iteratively as close as desired to the desired intermediate state in which the final voltage stably prevails. It should be noted that the “mechanical reaction time” of the actuator that was mentioned above shall characterize its mechanical behavior and has to be defined appropriately for this purpose. In one possibility proposed here, the mechanical reaction time is defined as the time that the actuator needs (e.g. in vacuum) to move from its totally rolled-out to its totally rolled-up state provided that the applied voltage is a step function with the final voltage being zero.
As was already said, the aforementioned embodiment is particularly suited for arrays of actuators. In a further adaptation to the previously mentioned embodiment of an actuator array with an external control module and local drivers, the local drivers comprise a switch—preferably a thin-film transistor—that is controlled by an address line and that connects the stationary electrode unit (or, less favorably, the flexible electrode unit) of the associated actuator to a data line. Activating the address line will then select the linked local drivers and connect them to the associated data lines on which desired signals, e.g. the given final voltage of the aforementioned embodiment, are supplied.
In another particular realization of a charge/voltage controlled intermediate state, the control system is adapted to transfer a given amount of charge to the actuator. Again, the “transfer of an amount of charge to the actuator” shall be a short notation for what is actually the transfer of said amount of charge to the flexible electrode unit or to the stationary electrode unit (as was already explained above, the flexible and the stationary electrode unit form a capacitor, so that there is typically no net charge transfer to the actuator as a whole, but only a net transfer from one of its electrodes to the other). Being able to control the amount of charge that is transferred to the actuator provides a simple and direct means for controlling the mechanical state of said actuator, as this is uniquely related to the charge difference between the flexible and the stationary electrode units.
The aforementioned embodiment is again preferably applied to whole arrays of actuators. In the array design with an external control module and local drivers, the local drivers will then preferably comprise a (constant) current source for charging the actuator during a predetermined loading time with a predetermined loading current. The loading time and the loading current will in this case provide suitable and simple control parameters for determining the amount of transferred charge. The current source can of course also be used in a general design of a control system for at least one actuator.
In a preferred realization of the aforementioned embodiment, the current source is a (e.g. thin-film) transistor that is connected with its gate to a data line, with its source to an address line, and with its drain to the stationary electrode unit (or, less favorably, to the flexible electrode unit). When the voltage on the address line is chosen such that the transistor is in its saturated mode, it will operate as a current source, and the voltage on the data line can simply be a digital pulse that controls the duration (loading time) of current flow. Alternatively, the voltage on the data line can be an analogue pulse that controls the magnitude and (optionally) duration (loading time) of current flow.
While the previous embodiments provide means for transferring a given amount of charge to the actuator, the desired final rolling state of the actuator can only be achieved in this feedforward control approach if the total amount of charge on the actuator (seen as a capacitor) is known (and not only the amount of charge that is added in the last control step). This issue is addressed in a further embodiment of the invention, in which the control system is adapted to
a) first discharge the flexible electrode unit and the stationary electrode unit, and
b) then transfer an appropriate amount of charge to the actuator.
Discharging the electrode units beforehand is a simple means for establishing well defined starting conditions that enable well-defined, transparent results of the subsequent charge transfer. The “appropriate amount of charge” will typically be directly related to the given final charge difference that shall prevail in the desired final rolling state of the actuator (i.e. the “intermediate state”). It should further be noted that, after discharging the electrode units, the subsequent charge transfer can immediately start without waiting for any slow mechanical rolling reaction of the actuator.
The described discharge procedure can particularly be achieved in the design of the MEMS with an external control module and local drivers, if the local drivers comprise a switch—preferably a thin-film transistor—for selectively short circuiting the flexible electrode unit with the stationary electrode unit. Said switch may optionally be controlled by a dedicated access line connecting it to the external control module or by appropriate circuitry that couples it to neighboring data or address lines. The switch can of course also be used in a general design of a control system for at least one actuator.
Definite starting conditions that allow to reach stable rolling states of well defined charge or voltage are also provided in an embodiment in which the control system is adapted to
a) first drive the actuator to a well-defined rolling state, preferably the totally rolled-up or the totally rolled-out state, and
b1) then apply an appropriate driving voltage for an associated driving duration to the actuator; or
b2) then transfer an appropriate amount of charge to the actuator.
The well-defined rolling state that is assumed in step a) is in general associated with known electrical conditions in terms of voltage and/or charge difference across the electrode units. If the defined rolling state is for example the totally rolled-up state, then this voltage and charge difference can simply be zero. Based on such definite electrical starting conditions, an appropriate driving voltage and an associated driving duration during which is this voltage is applied (or, in case b2), an appropriate amount of charge) can readily be determined from theoretical considerations or experimental data and thereafter be applied to make the actuator transit to the desired rolling state (i.e. the “intermediate state”).
In the following, a series of embodiments of the present invention will be described that are characterized in that the flexible electrode unit and/or preferably the stationary electrode unit comprises at least two selectively addressable “drive electrodes”. In this case, there exist the alternatives to activate (i) no drive electrodes at all, (ii) the first drive electrode only, (iii) the second drive electrode only, or (iv) both drive electrodes simultaneously. This yields a total of four different activation patterns, wherein the activation of only a single drive electrode can be used to established a desired stable intermediate rolling state of the actuator.
In a preferred realization of the aforementioned approach, the drive electrodes are disposed in sequential order as seen in the rolling direction of the flexible electrode unit. Starting from a rolled-up state of the actuator, in which all drive electrodes are inactive, it is then possible to sequentially activate one drive electrode after the other (starting from the appropriate end of the electrode sequence), wherein the flexible electrode will in each activation step move so far that it just comes into closest contact to the activated electrodes.
In another preferred embodiment, the drive electrodes have a structure of interdigitated combs, i.e. combs with meshing segments (prongs). In this way the segments of the combs can be arranged in an alternating sequence (seen in the rolling direction of the flexible electrode unit), which allows in principle for a step wise control as in the previous embodiment.
In the aforementioned embodiment, the control system is preferably adapted to activate the two drive electrodes in an alternating sequence until the desired intermediate rolling state is reached. Just two drive electrode will then suffice to establish a “road” on which the flexible electrode unit can step-wise roll to the position of any desired segment of the combs.
According to a further development of the invention, the MEMS with drive electrodes comprises a selectively addressable “hold electrode” that is arranged at at least one location between said drive electrodes (wherein “between” is seen in rolling direction of the flexible electrode unit). When the flexible electrode unit has for example rolled out to a certain position by the coordinated activation of the drive electrodes as described above, it can be kept in this state by activating the hold electrode even if both drive electrodes are inactivated afterwards. This possibility is particularly useful in passive matrix arrangements in which the drive electrodes cannot continuously be kept activated.
The following variants of the invention can be realized in combination with each of the above described embodiments.
In a first of these variants, the control system comprises a “memory module” for storing previous control actions and a “processing module” for calculating appropriate actual control actions based on the desired intermediate state of the actuator and the stored previous control actions. The memory module allows to determine the present state of an actuator, for example its charge or voltage, without the need of resetting the actuator to a definite state before the next control action is applied.
In another variant of the invention, the control system is adapted to drive the actuator with various speeds through a sequence of (totally rolled-up, totally rolled-out, and/or intermediate) states. Even if the speed of the mechanical transition between two subsequent states of the actuator cannot be influenced, it is nevertheless possible to vary the mean speed with which the actuator passes a series of (stable) rolling states by varying the time it rests in each of the states.
The invention further relates to a method for controlling a MEMS with a ciliary actuator comprising a flexible electrode unit and a stationary electrode unit, wherein the flexible electrode unit can assume a totally rolled-up state and a totally rolled-out state upon application of appropriate electrical signals (e.g. voltages or charges) to the actuator, and wherein the method comprises the selective driving of the actuator to at least one stable intermediate state in which the flexible electrode unit is in a rolling state between the totally rolled-up and the totally rolled-out a state.
The method comprises in general form the steps that can be executed with a MEMS of the kind described above. Therefore, reference is made to the preceding description for more information on the details, advantages and improvements of that method.
The invention further relates to the use of the micro-electro-mechanical systems described above for molecular diagnostics, biological sample analysis, chemical sample analysis, food analysis, and/or forensic analysis. A device according to the present invention may be of use in a broad variety of systems and/or applications, amongst them one or more of the following:
tools for DNA or protein diagnostics for cardiology, infectious disease and oncology, food, and environmental diagnostics;
As will be appreciated by those in the art, the material in the device may comprise any number of things, including, but not limited to, bodily fluids (e.g. blood, urine, serum, lymph, saliva, anal and vaginal secretions, perspiration and semen) of virtually any organism, with mammalian samples being preferred and human samples particularly preferred; environmental samples (e.g. air, agricultural, water and soil samples); biological warfare agent samples; research samples (i.e. in the case of nucleic acids).
In the case of applications of the present invention towards devices for the detection of one or more target molecules in a fluid sample, especially to the field of devices for the detection of biomolecules in aqueous solution, the target molecule(s) may be, but not limited to, the product(s) of an amplification reaction, including both target and signal amplification); purified samples, such as purified genomic DNA, RNA, proteins, etc.; raw samples (bacteria, virus, genomic DNA, etc.); biological molecular compounds such as, but not limited to, nucleic acids and related compounds (e.g. DNAs, RNAs, oligonucleotides or analogs thereof, PCR products, genomic DNA, bacterial artificial chromosomes, plasmids and the like), proteins and related compounds (e.g. polypeptides, peptides, monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies, soluble or bound receptors, transcription factors, and the like), antigens, ligands, haptens, carbohydrates and related compounds (e.g. polysaccharides, oligosaccharides and the like), cellular fragments such as membrane fragments, cellular organelles, intact cells, bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and the like.
These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiment(s) described hereinafter. These embodiments will be described by way of example with the help of the accompanying drawings in which:
Like reference numbers in the Figs. refer to identical or similar components.
Biochips for (bio)chemical analysis, such as molecular diagnostics, are becoming an important tool for a variety of medical, forensic and food applications. In almost all of the protocols that one wishes to carry out on a lab-on-a-chip, the transportation of fluid and in particular of bio-particles within that fluid, is crucial. Possible transportation methods for the actuation of a bio-fluid include electrical actuation, ((di)electrophoresis and electroosmosis), capillary movement, pressure driving via MEMS, and thermal gradients. The present invention is primarily concerned with polymer-MEMS actuators (abbreviated “PMAs” in the following) for fluid actuation, but could also be used in relation to other actuators. PMAs mimic a micro-fluidics manipulation mechanism “designed” by nature when beating cilia are collectively covered over the external surface of micro-organisms (e.g. paramecium and pleurobrachia). A cilium can be viewed as a small hair or flexible rod (typical length 10 μm and diameter 0.1 μm) attached to the surface. Apart from propulsion of micro-organisms, other functions of cilia are in cleansing of gills, feeding, excretion, and filtering. This effective micro-fluidics principle can be copied by polymer micro-actuators responding to an applied electrical or magnetic field by changing their shape. The typical structure is that of a curled micro-beam, which unrolls when the field is applied and returns to its original shape by elastic recovery. The actuators can be fabricated using standard micro-technology combined with polymer processing.
PMAs include for example electrostatically actuated polymer composite structures (PolyMEMs) for the manipulation of fluids. An example of these structures can be seen in
The PMA 100 is shown in more detail in the schematic cross-sections of
For electrostatic actuation of PMAs of the kind described above it is important that the state of the polymer structure can be accurately controlled. This is crucial for example for fluid transport where the best results are achieved when different groups of structures are situated sequentially in the direction of the required flow and can be activated with a phase difference. Accurate control of the structures is also necessary for chaotic mixing of fluids where a 90° phase difference is required between adjacent structures. In addition it is also important to control the rate at which the rolling process occurs. A major problem for accurate control of the PolyMEMS structures is however that the structures tend to completely roll-up or roll-out once the voltage VPMA exceeds a threshold value. As such it is not possible to perform the rolling/unrolling process in a controlled manner because it happens in all cases very rapidly.
Depending upon the exact details of the fluid actuation control, it is therefore desirable that individual PMAs can be partially rolled-up or rolled-out. Not only does this allow the array of PMAs to take on more configurations, it also allows for the structures to be rolled-up at different speeds, by effectively conducting the rolling or unrolling process in a series of steps. Whilst each of these steps may occur rapidly, the total time required for the complete rolling or unrolling may then be controlled by tuning the time between partial rolling steps as required.
C
f
·V
f
=Q
i
=C
min
·V
i. (1)
This position will be stable because, if the PMA unrolls further the voltage VPMA between the electrodes on the freed film and on the substrate will fall. As it is this voltage which provides the driving force to un-roll the PMA, any reduction will alter the balance between the electrical force and the mechanical forces trying to roll it up again, and the PMA will move back. Similarly, any attempt by the PMA to roll up more reduces the capacitance and increases the electrical un-rolling force making the PMA return to its original position.
Addressing can be done in the same way as is used in AMLCD, i.e. data is applied to the data lines COL and a gate pulse is applied to the address lines ROW which switches on all the driver transistors TFT1 in one row of the PMA array. The column voltages are then loaded onto the PMA driver capacitances and the transistor TFT1 is turned off, leaving the PMA driver isolated. As is the case, voltages of different polarity may be used interchangeably, as only the magnitude of the voltage determines the rolling state of the PMA. For this reason, any of the known voltage inversion schemes from LCD driving may be implemented as preferred embodiments of the invention (such as frame, line, column or pixel inversion schemes). A key point for understanding the principle of this approach is that, once the driver transistor TFT1 has been turned off, the charge on the PMA driver capacitances is fixed at a value Q0=C0·Vi, where C0=CPMA+CS is the common capacitance of the PMA plus the capacitance CS of the storage capacitor at the moment the transistor TFT1 is turned off and Vi is the voltage across that capacitance once the transistor TFT1 has been turned off (this assumes that there is no current leakage between the two electrode units). The final rolling state of the PMA is therefore uniquely defined by the value of charge, Q0, placed on the PMA driver during the addressing period, which in turn is defined by the applied voltage Vi and the common capacitance C0.
While the applied voltage Vi is clearly defined by the voltage applied to a PMA driver via the data lines COL during the addressing period, the value of the common capacitance C0 depends on the previous state of the PMA. According to the principles explained above, a PMA with a fully un-rolled freed film will yield a large value of the common capacitance C0 while a PMA which was in a state where the freed film was fully rolled-up will yield a low value of the common capacitance C0. The amount of variation in the common capacitance C0 can be reduced by having a large storage capacitor CS in parallel with the PMA capacitance CPMA, but this reduction in the capacitance variation also reduces the effectiveness of the mechanism which allows a specific partial rolling to be defined as the slope of the common capacitance C0 versus PMA freed film position curve is reduced.
It is therefore desirable for the control system to have information about the previous state of the PMA or to address the PMA driver more than once during the frame time TF, wherein the term “frame time” refers to the time duration that is available for a completed programming cycle (“frame”) of the whole array of PMAs or of those arrays which require actuating within the given application. Knowledge of the initial state of a PMA may be obtained in different ways. Some data defining the previous state may for example be stored in a memory, wherein this information can then be used to determine actual drive signals. Alternatively, the PMAs can be reset to a known state before addressing. Arising from this understanding of the system there are several basic approaches to addressing an active matrix PMA array which are described in more detail in the following.
The approach of addressing a PMA driver more than once during the frame time TF relies on the fact that if a PMA driver is addressed several times with the same data (i.e. the same voltage VCOL=Vf on the data lines COL), the capacitance change during the subsequent periods gets smaller and smaller so that the final state can be defined to within any given degree of accuracy by a known number of addressing cycles. In practice a small number of addressing cycles will typically give a good result as the changes in each successive cycle decrease rapidly.
The aforementioned effect is illustrated in
Whilst the described re-setting is an extremely effective method for realizing an accurate degree of rolling of a PMA, this inevitably results in a motion of the PMA. In order that such a motion has no detrimental effect on the motion of the fluid or particles in the fluid, the following measures can be taken:
The alternative approach of storing data defining the previous state of the PMA array is illustrated in
V
D(N)=CPMA(N)·Vf(N)/CPMA(N−1).
Such a memory based system could also be exploited to improve e.g. the response speed of a large or otherwise slow responding PMA, by intentionally overdriving in a first frame or several frames the PMA driver with a higher voltage than required to arrive at the desired rolling state (subsequent frames to be e.g. driven at equilibrium voltage).
The drain D of the driver transistor TFT2 is connected electrically to one of the electrodes in the PMA (either the flexible electrode 104 on the freed film or the stationary electrode 102 on the substrate) and the other PMA electrode is connected to the fixed reference voltage Vref. In a preferred embodiment, the drain of the driver transistor TFT2 will be connected to the stationary electrode on the substrate, whereby the freed film electrode may be implemented in the form of a common electrode.
As was explained above with reference to
ΔQ=Ion·Ton. (2)
Provided the voltage VPMA on the PMA is such that driver transistor TFT2 remains in its saturated mode, the loaded charge ΔQ does not depend on the PMA driver capacitance CPMA and so the previous rolling state of the PMA does not affect the state into which it is switched during the addressing period. Control of the degree of rolling can be achieved by varying the loading time Ton. This has an additional advantage in that the signal on the data lines COL can be a purely digital signal so the cost of the column drivers in a PMA array using this type of addressing will be low. In order to achieve a known value of the final charge Q on the PMA it is necessary to start the charging from a known state, e.g. where the PMA voltage VPMA and hence charge are zero. This can be achieved in several ways, for example as shown in the Fig. by having an extra thin-film transistor TFT3, which can be turned on by using a reset pulse Vres on a reset line RES to short the flexible and the stationary electrode and thus to discharge the PMA and the storage capacity CS before the data loading occurs.
It should be noted that the aforementioned discharging does not necessarily result in a motion of the freed film, as typically the discharging will take place in a time period which is much shorter (<<1 ms) than the mechanical response time of the PMA (>>1 ms). For this reason, the discharging-reset is different from a rolling-state-reset of the PMA as it was described above (
An alternative method for achieving a known value of the final charge on the PMA is to use, in a design like that of
The operation of the PMA driver of
The reset signal for the reset transistor TFT3 may be applied as shown in
It should be noted that an alternative drive method is to vary the gate voltage on the driver transistor TFT2 to achieve the required charge by controlling the current Ion through this transistor and keeping the time Ton, for which the transistor is switched on, constant (according to formula (2), varying either Ion or Ton allows ΔQ to be controlled). This requires an analogue column driver, but would allow standard driver ICs developed for AMLCDs and AMOLEDs (active matrix organic LED displays) to be used and also may give better control of low degrees of rolling in large PMA arrays where the need to achieve very short values of Ton may be an issue as the short pulses may become severely degraded by the RC time constant of the columns. It is also possible to use a combination of a control of Ion and Ton to control the value of the charge ΔQ loaded onto the PMA.
The uniformity of the degree of rolling is in the previous approaches directly related to variations in the current sources, particularly the trans-conductance of the driver transistor TFT2. Any variations in mobility and threshold voltage VT will lead to direct changes in charging current and hence degree of rolling. This is particularly relevant for poly-Si based TFTs, and is a similar issue to that faced by AMPLED/AMOLED displays. However, because the gate voltage used in the approach where a constant driving voltage (which can be well above the TFT threshold voltage) is applied for a variable period the effect of threshold voltage variations is less critical. Moreover, embodiments of PMA driver circuits can be made in which the simple current source (driver transistor TFT2) is replaced with a known current source circuit that enhances the PMA to PMA uniformity of the charging current. Examples of such circuits are threshold voltage compensating circuits and current mirror circuits.
An activation pattern of the drive electrodes SE1, SE2 and the hold electrode HE that can be used to roll the PMA out (or up) is illustrated in
In order to roll the PMA out the hold electrode HE is activated at a time t1. Then the first drive electrode SE1 is activated and the flexible electrode FE rolls out across the first segment of the first drive electrode SE1 and the hold electrode HE until it comes to the second drive electrode SE2 (that is deactivated). At this point it rolls out no further and a partially rolled-up PMA device is realized, which will remain in the partially rolled state until further signals are applied to the electrodes.
When the PMA must be rolled-out further, the first drive electrode SE1 is deactivated at a time t2 and the second drive electrode SE2 and the hold electrode HE are activated. The flexible electrode FE will then roll out across the first segment of the second drive electrode SE2 and the hold electrode HE until it comes to the next segment of the first drive electrode SE1 (that is deactivated).
This process can be repeated until the PMA reaches its desired level of unrolling or may proceed continuously with a chosen time delay to achieve a slow complete rolling-up or rolling-out of the PMA.
The described PMA device may be a part of a passive matrix array, in which case the drive electrodes SE1 and SE2 are conveniently implemented in the form of row electrodes, whilst the hold electrode HE is conveniently implemented in the form a column electrode. In this case, the drive electrodes SE1 and SE2 remain activated after addressing a row of PMAs and the PMA remains at its position due to the electrostatic force of the row electrodes. The state of the column is not important anymore as long as the row electrodes remain activated. The roll will move a little due to the column signal on the column electrode, but not much.
The rolling process can also be done by first unrolling the PMA entirely by activating both row and column electrodes and then step by step rolling a PMA up. This is done by deactivating the hold electrode when a PMA must be rolled further and then alternating the drive electrodes SE1 and SE2 as done previously.
When a PMA must not be rolled further the hold electrode HE is activated constantly. When the right level of unrolling has been reached and the frame time is passed, both drive electrodes SE1 and SE2 are activated. The process can be speeded up by first looking if a PMA is more rolled than unrolled in case one rolls a PMA completely and then start unrolling it. When a PMA is more unrolled than rolled, the PMA can first be unrolled completely and then be rolled up in steps.
The partially rollable PMA array can also be realized within an active matrix technology. In active matrix technology, it is possible to hold a voltage on an electrode at all times, even when other PMAs are being addressed by the electronics. In this case, there is therefore no requirement for a hold electrode HE. It suffices that the PMA device comprises two drive electrodes SE1 and SE2, and the flexible counter electrode on the foil. The rolling/unrolling is then realized by sequentially actuating the drive electrodes SE1 and SE2 in each PMA device. Every time the actuating voltage changes from one electrode to another, the PMA will unroll by the distance between the adjacent portions of electrodes SE1 and SE2. In this manner, controlled partial rolling at a desired rolling rate may be realized in a PMA with three electrodes. It should be noted that the direction of rolling (up or out) can in this case be influenced by the precise timing of the activations of the drive electrodes SE1, SE2. A small overlap in the activation will induce a rolling-out movement due to the attraction of the flexible electrode by both drive electrodes; no overlap or a small gap in the activation, on the contrary, will induce a rolling-up movement as the intermediate ceasing of any electrical attraction allows the mechanical forces to start a rolling-up of the flexible electrode.
The actuator could also be used for a valve with controlled, partial closing in a microfluidic system. Moreover, the actuator could be used as a light shutter in a visual device such as a display or a re-configurable lighting system, signage application etc.
Finally it is pointed out that in the present application the term “comprising” does not exclude other elements or steps, that “a” or “an” does not exclude a plurality, and that a single processor or other unit may fulfill the functions of several means. The invention resides in each and every novel characteristic feature and each and every combination of characteristic features. Moreover, reference signs in the claims shall not be construed as limiting their scope.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 06126885.0 | Dec 2006 | EP | regional |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/IB07/55144 | 12/17/2007 | WO | 00 | 6/18/2009 |
