An electrostatic induction micromotor supported on gas-lubricated bearings

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 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 [1].