'Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)'
Abstract
We demonstrate here an electrostatic MEMS system
capable of transporting particles 5-10μm in diameter in
air. This system consists of 3-phase electrode arrays
covered by insulators (Figs. 1, 2). Extensive testing of
this system has been done using a variety of insulation
materials (silicon nitride, photoresist, and Teflon),
thickness (0- 12μm), particle sizes (1-10μm), particle
materials (metal, glass, polystyrene, spores, etc),
waveforms, frequencies, and voltages. Although
previous literature [1-2] claimed it impractical to
electrostatically transport particles with sizes 5-10μm
due to complex surface forces, this effort actually
shows it feasible (as high as 90% efficiency) with the
optimal combination of insulation thickness, electrode
geometry, and insulation material. Moreover, we suggest a qualitative theory for our particle transportation system which is consistent with our data and finite-element electrostatic simulations
