A MOEMS Safety and Arming Device Based on Coupled Electrothermal and Centrifugal Actuators

This article introduces a novel micro-optical electromechanical system safety and arming (S&A) device that utilizes both electrothermal and centrifugal actuators to ensure the reliability and efficiency of the device. The S&A device comprises a pair of V-shaped latching actuators, a pair of U-shaped latching actuators, a reverse blocking actuator, a centrifugal alignment actuator, and two sets of status monitoring units. The V- and U-shaped latching actuators serve as safety features to prevent accidental triggering, while the centrifugal alignment actuator aligns the optical fibers. The mechanical responses of the device under dual-environment loads are analyzed using a finite element model, while a theoretical model is introduced to predict the centrifugal acceleration required for alignment. The device is fabricated using deep reactive ion etching on silicon-on-insulator wafers. Experimental tests confirm the effectiveness of the safety features and the device's capability to transmit high-power optical energy. The optical efficiency ranges from 71.8% to 76.4% (1.17–1.44 dB insertion loss), and the maximum power transfer is 902 mW from an 1180 mW input.