At 02:25 PM 3/4/98 -0700, you wrote:
>Fellow MEMS-ers,
>       I have a question for anyone who is so inclined to answer:
>       In reference to micromachining, what would be the best way to get
>       a microchip or a MCM to "jump"? What I mean is, if I had a small
>       module that I wanted to propell in an upward manner, would a small
>       spring mechanism do the job? I know lots of variables come into play,
>       such as the module's weight, the spring constant and how high I want
>       the thing to go; but all this is mainly trivial.  I guess I'm just
>       trying to figure out if anyone has pondered the same question before,
>       and if anyone has, then what became of it?  If anyone has any info or
>       ideas, feel free to respond!
>
>       Dylan P. Bryant
>       Engineering Research Assistant
>       Management Sciences, Inc.
>       & UNM School of Engineering
>       Mechanical Engineering, Dept.
>       dylan@mgtsciences.com
>
>       Ciao!
>

Dylan Bryant,

Hello.  We make a chip that has a vertical combdrive, where the comb drive
throw piece moves perpendicular to the plane of the substrate surface.  I
suppose that with a stiff-enough retaining spring, one could get the chip to
jump when the forcing function is removed, causing the spring to snap the
throw piece back to its original position, thus causing the chip to jump.

Sincerely,

Robert Dean
RF CMOS Designer
MEMS Optical
205 Import Circle
Suite 2
Huntsville, AL 35806
Tel. 205-859-1886
FAX 205-859-5890
email rdean@memsoptical.com