Patent ID: 7073890

Claim:
A thermal actuator for a micro-electromechanical device comprising: (a) a base element; (b) a movable element extending from the base element and residing at a first position, the movable element including a barrier layer constructed of a barrier material having low thermal conductivity material, bonded between a first layer and a second layer; wherein the first layer is constructed of a first material having a high coefficient of thermal expansion and the second layer is constructed of a second material different than the first material and having a high thermal conductivity and a high Young's modulus, and wherein the thermal conductivity of the second material is substantially greater than the thermal conductivity of the first material; and (c) apparatus adapted to apply a heat pulse directly to the first layer, causing a thermal expansion of the first layer relative to the second layer and deflection of the movable element to a second position, followed by relaxation of the movable element towards the first position as heat diffuses through the baffler layer to the second layer.