Abstract
A micro-machined hybrid contactless suspension, in which a conductive proof mass is inductively levitated within an electrostatic field, is studied. This hybrid suspension has the unique capability to control the stiffness, in particular along the vertical direction, over a wide range, which is limited by a pull-in instability. A prototype of the suspension was micro-fabricated, and the decrease of the vertical component of the stiffness by a factor of 25% was successfully demonstrated. In order to study the pull-in phenomenon of this suspension, an analytical model was developed. Assuming quasi-static behavior of the levitated proof mass, the static and dynamic pull-in of the suspension was comprehensively studied, also yielding a definition for the pull-in parameters of the hybrid suspension.
Highlights
Micro-machined Contactless Suspensions (μ-CS), employing the phenomena of electromagnetic levitation, eliminate mechanical attachments between stationary and moving parts inMicro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS)
They provide one solution of a fundamental issue in the micro-world of MEMS related to the domination of friction over inertial forces [1,2,3]
The qualitative technique developed in [34] to model micro-machined inductive contactless suspensions, where the eddy current within the levitated micro-object is approximated by a magnetic dipole, is used
Summary
Micro-machined Contactless Suspensions (μ-CS), employing the phenomena of electromagnetic levitation, eliminate mechanical attachments between stationary and moving parts in. They provide one solution of a fundamental issue in the micro-world of MEMS related to the domination of friction over inertial forces [1,2,3] Through this concept, a new generation of micro-sensors and actuators based on levitation has been demonstrated. The qualitative technique developed in [34] to model micro-machined inductive contactless suspensions, where the eddy current within the levitated micro-object is approximated by a magnetic dipole, is used. We note that this method has been recently further generalized in [35,36], where the eddy current is more accurately approximated by a system of dipoles. A reduced analytical model of the μ-HCS, which describes the behavior of a levitated micro-object in the vertical direction, is developed
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