Single Axis Piezoceramic Gimbal

Abstract

This paper describes the fabrication, testing, and analysis of a single axis piezoceramic gimbal. The fabrication process consists of pre-stressing a piezoceramic wafer using a high-temperature thermoplastic polyimide and a metal foil. The differential thermal expansion between the ceramic and metal induces a curvature. The piezoceramic is mounted on a support mechanism and a mirror is attached to the piezoceramic. A finite element analysis of the gimbal is described and the predicted gimbal angle versus applied voltage is compared to experimental results. Keywords: actuator, gimbal, piezoceramic, scanner INTRODUCTION The development of a new processing technique called THUNDER (THin-layer composite UNimorph piezoelectric Driver and sEnsoR) technology 1 enables new types of actuator concepts. The THUNDER technology produces a curved piezoceramic by combining a flat piezoceramic wafer with a thin metal foil using a polyimide thermoplastic called LARC^TMSI as an adhesive. Using a th..