Design rule and orientation layout for MEMS curved beams on silicon

An analysis method used to choose a suitable structural orientation layout for a microcompliant mechanism, which includes multi-curved-beams, is introduced, particularly, for fabricating microelectromechanical-systems (MEMS) thin-curved-beam microstructures on (100) and (111) single-crystal silicon (SCS) wafers. The achievement of a large deflection of a fabricated SCS device verifies the usability of this design rule. The orientation layouts of the device for a large deflection are restricted to a specific region. Based on the analysis method, it is better to follow a 21° safe region between the (100) and (110) orientations in order to decrease the possibility of crystal slip failure. Using this design consideration, one can design more robust MEMS compliant mechanisms from SCS, exploiting its ideal elasticity.