Patent ID: 6985650

Claim:
A thermal actuator ( 500 ) comprising: a substrate having a surface; a first support and a second support disposed on the surface and extending orthogonally therefrom; a beam ( 510 ) extending between the first support and the second support, the beam having a first side ( 511 ), a second side ( 512 ), a beam length ( 518 ) and a beam mid-point ( 519 ), the beam being substantially straight along the first side ( 511 ); the beam comprised of a plurality of beam segments ( 520 , 522 , 524 ), each beam segment of the plurality of beam segments having a beam segment width ( 525 , 526 , 527 ) orthogonal to the beam length, the beam thus forming a corresponding plurality of beam segment widths; wherein the plurality of beam segment widths corresponding to the beam vary along the beam length based on a predetermined pattern; so that a heating of the beam causes a beam buckling and the beam mid-point to translate in a predetermined direction ( 548 ) generally normal to and outward from the second side; wherein the predetermined pattern is characterized in that, along the beam length from the first support to the beam mid-point, beam segment widths corresponding to successive beam segments do not decrease and at least sometimes increase, and along the beam length from the beam mid-point to the second support, beam segment widths corresponding to successive beam segments do not increase and at least sometimes decrease.