Title :
An electrostatic induction micromotor supported on gas-lubricated bearings
Author :
Frechette, L.G. ; Nagle, S.F. ; Ghodssi, R. ; Umans, S.D. ; Schmidt, M.A. ; Lang, J.H.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Mech. Eng., Columbia Univ., New York, NY, USA
Abstract :
This paper reports the first successful fabrication and demonstration of an electrostatic induction micromotor supported on gas-lubricated bearings for electrical-to-mechanical energy conversion. The device consists of a stack of five (5) deep reactive ion etched (DRIE) fusion bonded silicon wafers, with an enclosed 4.2 mm diameter rotor driven by a high-voltage, high-frequency thin-film stator. Testing has demonstrated a torque of 0.3 /spl mu/Nm at a rotation rate of 15,000 revolutions per minute, corresponding to a shaft power of 0.5 mW. This development effort serves to support the creation of a wide array of power MEMS devices such as micro-scale pumps, compressors, generators, and coolers.
Keywords :
electrostatic motors; induction motors; lubrication; machine bearings; sputter etching; wafer bonding; Si; deep reactive ion etching; electrical-to-mechanical energy conversion; electrostatic induction micromotor; fusion bonding; gas lubricated bearing; power MEMS device; silicon wafer; Electrostatic induction; Energy conversion; Etching; Fabrication; Micromotors; Semiconductor thin films; Silicon; Stators; Thin film devices; Wafer bonding;
Conference_Titel :
Micro Electro Mechanical Systems, 2001. MEMS 2001. The 14th IEEE International Conference on
Conference_Location :
Interlaken, Switzerland
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-5998-4
DOI :
10.1109/MEMSYS.2001.906535
