A MICROMACHINED STRUCTURE AND USE THEREOF, AND A MICROMACHINED DEVICE AND A METHOD FOR THE MANUFACTURE THEREOF

摘要

A micromachined structure which comprises one or more bi- or multi-layer hinges and one or more rigid components, the hinges serving to move and/or position the rigid component(s) by bending under the influence of one or more stimulus/stimuli. In a preferred embodiment, the hinges are flexible, offering a large degree of bending, and are small in size compared with the area of the rigid components. In a further preferred embodiment, the hinges are used to fold together the rigid components into predetemined three-dimensional structures and/or to achieve three-dimensional positioning of one or more rigid components. In a further preferred embodiment, the bending of the hinges can be continuously controlled between the minimum and maximum degree of bending. In a further preferred embodiment, the hinges comprise an organic layer such as a conducting polymer.