Patent ID: 7007471

Claim:
A thermal microelectrical mechanical actuator, comprising: a planar substrate with first and second anchors secured thereto; an in-plane shuttle floating on the substrate for motion parallel to the planar substrate; a first plurality of elongated, substantially straight thermal half-beams that each have a base end secured to the first anchor and a distal end secured to the in-plane shuttle; and a second plurality of elongated, substantially straight thermal half-beams that each have a base end secured to the second anchor and a distal end secured to the in-plane shuttle, wherein each half-beam of the first and second plurality of half-beams is formed at an in-plane angle relative to a line extending between the first and the second anchors, and wherein, when heated, each half-beam of the first plurality of half-beams expands toward a respective half-beam of the second plurality of half-beams, and each half-beam of the second plurality of half beams expands toward a respective half-beam of the first plurality of half beams.