Solved with COMSOL Multiphysics 4.

Joule Heating of a Microactuator

Introduction
This simple tutorial model simulates the resistive heatingalso known as Joule heatingof a two-hot-arm thermal actuator. The model couples the physics phenomena involved in one way only. However, as explained below, you can easily modify it to simulate a two-way coupling between the electric current and the heating of the actuator.

Model Definition
Figure 1 shows the actuators parts and dimensions as well as its position on top of a substrate surface.

Upper surface Substrate 240 m Hot arms

3 m 2 m

Dimple

Cold arm

Anchors

Figure 1: The thermal microactuator.

MATERIAL DATA

This model uses the material properties listed in Table 1 for the Joule Heating Model equations. The assumption of constant material properties means that the coupling between physics phenomena is one way only: the electric current through the actuator heats up the material, but the current itself is not affected by the temperature rise. By

JOULE HEATING OF A MICROACTUATOR

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choosing the linearized resistivity option for the electric conductivity (available in the Joule Heating Model nodes Settings window) and providing the associated material properties you can turn this into a two-way coupling.
TABLE 1: MATERIAL DATA PROPERTY NAME VALUE

Electric conductivity Relative permeability Thermal conductivity Density Heat capacity at constant pressure
BOUNDARY CONDITIONS

5104 S/m 4.5 40 W/(mK) 2300 kg/m3 600 J/(kgK)

r k Cp

An electric potential is applied between the bases of the hot arms anchors. The cold arm anchor and all other surfaces are electrically insulated.
Ground

Applied voltage

Figure 2: Electrical boundary conditions. The temperature of the base of the three anchors and the three dimples is fixed to that of the substrates constant temperature. Because the structure is sandwiched, all other boundaries interact thermally with the surroundings by conduction through thin layers of air.

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The heat transfer coefficient is given by the thermal conductivity of air divided by the distance to the surrounding surfaces for the system. This exercise uses different heat transfer coefficients for the actuators upper and other surfaces.
Fixed temperature

Heat flux = h(T -Tamb) T

Fixed temperature Fixed temperature

Figure 3: Heat-transfer boundary conditions.

Results
Figure 4 shows the temperature distribution on the actuators surface. The line graph in Figure 5 provides more detailed information about the temperature along a single edge facing the substrate plane.

JOULE HEATING OF A MICROACTUATOR

Solved with COMSOL Multiphysics 4.1

Figure 4: The temperature distribution on the actuator surface.

Figure 5: Temperature along the actuators longest edge facing the substrate.

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Model Library path: COMSOL_Multiphysics/Multiphysics/

thermal_actuator_jh

Modeling Instructions
MODEL WIZARD

1 Go to the Model Wizard window. 2 Click Next. 3 In the Add Physics tree, select Heat Transfer>Joule Heating (jh). 4 Click Next. 5 In the Studies tree, select Preset Studies>Stationary. 6 Click Finish.
MODEL 1

1 In the Model Builder window, right-click Model 1 and choose Rename. 2 Go to the Rename Model dialog box and type Thermal Actuator in the New name

edit field.
3 Click OK.
GLOBAL DEFINITIONS

Parameters
1 In the Model Builder window, right-click Global Definitions and choose Parameters. 2 Go to the Settings window for Parameters. 3 Locate the Parameters section. In the Parameters table, enter the following settings:
NAME EXPRESSION DESCRIPTION

htc_s htc_us DV

0.04[W/(m*K)]/2[um] 0.04[W/(m*K)]/ 100[um] 10[V]

Heat transfer coefficient Heat transfer coefficient, upper surface Applied voltage

JOULE HEATING OF A MICROACTUATOR

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GEOMETRY 1

Import 1
1 In the Model Builder window, right-click Thermal Actuator>Geometry 1 and choose Import. 2 Go to the Settings window for Import. 3 Locate the Import section. Click the Browse button. 4 Browse to the models Model Library folder and double-click the file
thermal_actuator.mphbin.

5 Click the Build All button.

DEFINITIONS

Selection 1
1 In the Model Builder window, right-click Thermal Actuator>Definitions and choose Selection. 2 Right-click Selection 1 and choose Rename. 3 Go to the Rename Selection dialog box and type Substrate Contact in the New name edit field. 4 Click OK.

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5 Go to the Settings window for Selection. 6 Locate the Geometric Scope section. From the Geometric entity level list, select Boundary. 7 Select Boundaries 10, 30, 50, 70, 76, and 82 only.
MATERIALS

Material 1
1 In the Model Builder window, right-click Thermal Actuator>Materials and choose Material.

By default, the first material you define applies to all domains.

2 Go to the Settings window for Material. 3 Locate the Material Contents section. In the Material Contents table, enter the

following settings:
PROPERTY NAME VALUE

Electric conductivity Relative permittivity Thermal conductivity Density Heat capacity at constant pressure
JOULE HEATING

sigma epsilonr k rho Cp

5e4 4.5 40 2.3e3 600

Ground 1
1 In the Model Builder window, right-click Thermal Actuator>Joule Heating and choose

the boundary condition Electric Currents>Ground.

2 Select Boundary 10 only.

Electric Potential 1
1 In the Model Builder window, right-click Joule Heating and choose the boundary

condition Electric Currents>Electric Potential.

2 Select Boundary 30 only. 3 Go to the Settings window for Electric Potential. 4 Locate the Electric Potential section. In the V0 edit field, type DV.

JOULE HEATING OF A MICROACTUATOR

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Heat Flux 1
1 In the Model Builder window, right-click Joule Heating and choose the boundary

condition Heat Transfer>Heat Flux. This boundary condition applies to all boundaries except the top-surface boundary and those in contact with the substrate. A Temperature condition on the substrate_contact boundaries will override this Heat Flux condition so you do not explicitly need to exclude those boundaries. In contrast, because the Heat Flux boundary condition is additive, you must explicitly exclude the top-surface boundary from the selection. Implement this selection as follows:
2 Go to the Settings window for Heat Flux. 3 Locate the Boundaries section. From the Selection list, select All boundaries. 4 In the Graphics window, click on the top surface and then right-click to remove it

from the selection.

5 Locate the Heat Flux section. Click the Inward heat flux button. 6 In the h edit field, type htc_s.

Heat Flux 2
1 In the Model Builder window, right-click Joule Heating and choose the boundary

condition Heat Transfer>Heat Flux.

2 Select Boundary 4 only. 3 Go to the Settings window for Heat Flux. 4 Locate the Heat Flux section. Click the Inward heat flux button. 5 In the h edit field, type htc_us.

Temperature 1
1 In the Model Builder window, right-click Joule Heating and choose the boundary

condition Heat Transfer>Temperature.

2 Go to the Settings window for Temperature. 3 Locate the Boundaries section. From the Selection list, select Substrate Contact.
MESH 1

1 In the Model Builder window, click Thermal Actuator>Mesh 1. 2 Go to the Settings window for Mesh. 3 Locate the Mesh Settings section. From the Element size list, select Fine.

Free Triangular 1
1 Right-click Thermal Actuator>Mesh 1 and choose Free Triangular.

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2 Go to the Settings window for Free Triangular. 3 Locate the Boundaries section. From the Geometric entity level list, select Boundary. 4 From the Selection list, select Substrate Contact. 5 Click the Build Selected button.

Swept 1
1 In the Model Builder window, right-click Mesh 1 and choose Swept. 2 Go to the Settings window for Swept. 3 Locate the Domains section. From the Geometric entity level list, select Domain. 4 Select Domains 27 only. 5 Click the Build Selected button.

Free Triangular 2
1 In the Model Builder window, right-click Mesh 1 and choose Free Triangular. 2 Go to the Settings window for Free Triangular. 3 Locate the Boundaries section. From the Geometric entity level list, select Boundary. 4 Select Boundary 3 only. 5 Click the Build Selected button.

Swept 2
1 In the Model Builder window, right-click Mesh 1 and choose Swept.

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2 In the Settings window, click Build All.

STUDY 1

In the Model Builder window, right-click Study 1 and choose Compute.

RESULTS

3D Plot Group 1
1 In the Model Builder window, expand the Results>3D Plot Group 1 node, then click Surface 1. 2 Go to the Settings window for Surface. 3 In the upper-right corner of the Expression section, click Replace Expression. 4 From the menu, choose Joule Heating (Heat Transfer)>Temperature (T). 5 Click the Plot button.

Finally, reproduce the plot in Figure 5 as follows:

1D Plot Group 3
1 In the Model Builder window, right-click Results and choose 1D Plot Group. 2 Right-click Results>1D Plot Group 3 and choose Line Graph. 3 Select Edge 52 only.

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4 Go to the Settings window for Line Graph. 5 In the upper-right corner of the Y-Axis Data section, click Replace Expression. 6 From the menu, choose Joule Heating (Heat Transfer)>Temperature (T). 7 In the upper-right corner of the X-Axis Data section, click Replace Expression. 8 From the menu, choose Geometry and Mesh>Coordinate>x-Coordinate (x). 9 Locate the X-Axis Data section. From the Unit list, select m. 1 0 Click the Plot button.

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