Electrostatic detachment of an adhering particle from a micromanipulated probe

During micromanipulation, the influence of gravitational force becomes extremely small. The adhesional force is more significant for smaller objects. An adhered object can be detached by electrostatic interaction. In our earlier study, the electrostatic force generated by an applied voltage and the voltage required for detachment have been theoretically analyzed using the boundary element method (BEM). The system consists of a manipulation probe, a spherical microparticle, and a substrate plate. These objects are all conductive. In this study, the voltage for detachment of a microparticle with a 30-mum diameter is experimentally clarified, and is revealed to be in good agreement with the voltage predicted by BEM analysis. In addition, phenomena other than detachment are discussed based on observations through an optical video microscope. These results provide us with knowledge about the strategy for reliable electrostatic micromanipulation. (C) 2003 American Institute of Physics.