The measurements of friction on micromechatronics elements

The coefficient of maximum static friction was measured and evaluated for various thin films deposited by plasma CVD (chemical vapor deposition), the sol-gel method, and vacuum evaporation on a glass substrate and a silicon wafer. Millimeter-size movers driven electrostatically slide on these films to measure friction coefficients. From the experimental results, it was found that the friction coefficients are dependent on the type of specimen and the preparation method. When the glass plate was used as the mover´s bottom, the coefficients of maximum static friction for a ZrO₂ (sol-gel) film, an Al (evaporation) film, a Si (evaporation) film, a glass substrate, a silicon wafer, and a SiN_x (CVD) were found to be small. Against the silicon wafer, an SiO₂ (evaporation) film, a glass substrate, and a ZrO₂ (sol-gel) film give small coefficients of maximum static friction