Copper planar microcoils applied to magnetic actuation

Recent advances in microtechnology allow realization of planar microcoils. These components are integrated in MEMS as magnetic sensor or actuator. In the latter case, it is necessary to maximize the effective magnetic field which is proportional to the current passing through the copper track and depends on the distance to the generation microcoil. The aim of this work was to determine the optimal microcoil design configuration for magnetic field generation. The results were applied to magnetic actuation, taking into account technological constraints. In particular, we have considered different realistic configurations that involve a magnetically actuated device coupled to a microcoil. Calculations by a semi-analytical method using Matlab software were validated by experimental measurements. The copper planar microcoils are fabricated by UV micromoulding on different substrates: flexible polymer (Kapton^®) and silicate on silicon. They are constituted by a spiral-like continuous track. Their total surface is about 1 mm².