Experimental characterization of pull-in parameters for an electrostatically actuated cantilever

Micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) are a promising research frontier thanks to their multiple physical fields properties. In the field of microcantilever actuators, Radi et al., 2017, proposed an accurate analytical approach for estimating the pull-in characteristics of microcantilever actuators subject to electrostatic actuation. The present work assesses this previous analytical model via experimental tests with the use of a simple millimeter-scale device. The aim of the work is to measure the critical pull-in voltage and the deflection of an actuated cantilever beam for different configurations in order to validate the variation of the pull-in voltage with the geometrical parameters of the device provided by theoretical investigations. Preliminary tests show that the experimental pull-in voltage and deflection are in good agreement with the results provided by the analytical model. Specifically, the relative difference between experimental and analytical values of pull-in voltage is in the range between 0.7% and 10%.