IC - PROCESSED MICRO - MOTORS : DESIGN , TECHNOLOGY , and TESTING

Micro-motors having rotors with diameters between 60 and 120 pm have been fabricated and driven electrostatically to continuous rotation. These motors were built using processes derived from IC micro-circuit fabrication techniques. Initial tests on the motors show that friction plays a dominant role in their dynamic behavior. Observed rotational speeds have thus far been limited to several hundred rpm which is a small fraction of what should be achievable if only natural frequency were to limit the response. Experimental starting voltages are at least an order-of-magnitude larger than had been expected (60 volts at minimum and above 100 V for some structures). Observations of asynchronous as well as synchronous rotation between the driving fields and the rotors can be explained in terms of the torquelrotor-angle characteristics for the motors.