Static Analysis of Electrostatically Actuated Micro Cantilever Beam

Electrostatically actuated micro devices experience a fundamental limit on their stable travel range due to a phenomenon called as the pull-in Instability. Accurate determination of pull-in parameters (pull-in displacement and pull-in voltage) is vital in the design of electrostatic micro actuators. A systematic method of analysis of prismatic type of electrostatic beam is discussed in this paper. Using Galerkin method static analysis is carried out. Behaviour of interaction of nonlinear electrostatic force with linear restoring force of the micro cantilever beam is studied. Static analysis using COMSOL multiphysics finite element package is done to validate the results. The results are also compared with existing literature.