Different small-scale devices for particle micro-handling using an ac electric field boundary wave were proposed in an earlier paper of the authors. These devices, with various novel transportation and manipulation features, that instantly generate particle driving forces through electric field creation, have been designed and produced. In a further endeavor, the mechanisms of particle conveyance are here subsequently validated in experiments. Particles on a thin protecting and insulating film interface above a series of encased and insulated parallel field electrodes become either tribo-electrically or induction charged through the application of balanced three- or six-phase voltages. The created non-uniform traveling field-wave conveys the charged particles perpendicular to the electrodes by repulsive forces in a hopping mode from electrode to electrode. In a temperature and humidity controlled environment, experiments surveying particle conveyance dynamics on these electric devices have been carried out. Various particle materials with diameters up to 400 micrometers have been examined; metal, glass, and plastic spheres showed the best performances. The transient charge distribution on particles and on the activated electric device, which is responsible for the particle conveyance, has been statically and dynamically inspected by a modified scanning electron microscope. Theoretical considerations underline the experimental findings. Further, angular speckle contouring measurements reveal the manipulation surface profile. Finally, a selection of cover materials are examined for their particle conveyance qualities.

Date Published: 11 December 1996
PDF: 10 pages
Proc. SPIE 2906, Microrobotics: Components and Applications, (11 December 1996); doi: 10.1117/12.260616

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 2906:
Microrobotics: Components and Applications
Armin Sulzmann, Editor(s)