Bidirectional electrostatic linear shuffle motor with two degrees of freedom

We report on an electrostatic linear inchworm micromotor with two translational degrees-of-freedom. The motor employs built-in mechanical leverage to convert normal deflection of a flexible cross-plate into a small in-plane step and four electrostatic clamps to enable bidirectional inchworm motion in two orthogonal directions. The motor is realized in a relative simple fabrication process, which combines conventional surface micromachining with trench isolation. Operation in different stepping modes (full, half and diagonal step) accompanied with high overall performance characteristics such as large force (0.64 mN) at moderate voltage (45V plate and 36V clamp), adjustable nanometer-resolution step size (41 nn to 63 nm), broad cycling frequency range (0 to 80 kHZ), small dimension (482 pm x 482 Vim) and large displacement range, makes this inchworm motor an attractive candidate for demanding positioning applications e.g. for (probe based) data storage.