A novel single-actuator bistable microdevice with a moment-driven mechanism

[Display omitted] •This work presents a moment-driven bistable microdevice that requires only one actuator for state-switching.•Compared with previous works, the proposed device is smaller and less complex, and does not require latching mechanisms.•Transient behaviors of the device were measured and discussed.•Design criteria were also derived and validated. This work presents a moment-driven bistable microdevice that requires only one actuator to switch between the device’s two stable states. The proposed device, which is a significantly improved version of our previous work, consists of two simple MEMS structures: a curved-beam structure and a V-beam actuator. Because the device is actuated by external moments, it consumes a smaller device area, and is less complex. In addition, the proposed device does not require latching mechanisms to lock the states. The closed-form design criteria for the proposed device were derived and validated with experimental measurement results. Transient bistable switching behaviors of the device were measured by using a vibrometer. Preliminary measurement results showed that the device can reliably switch between two stable states at 40 Hz with an actuation voltage of 10 V.