This research is to design and fabricate frictionless microbearings for use in various micro- electromechanical systems (MEMS). Recently, a variety of micromotors and a host of other small actuating devices have been proposed and fabricated, using silicon and other precision micromachining techniques. Because these devices themselves are so small, the design and development of bearing and linear guides become an extremely arduous task, and have not been successfully demonstrated. However, microbearings and microguides are an essential component of any micromachine and must be developed. It is believed that due to the minuscule sizes involved, successful bearing would take radically different forms from those of conventional bearings in the macro scales and may involve innovative concepts. The proposed research involves one of such different and potentially innovative designs. It employs a resonant electric suspension to achieve open loop stable levitation in all three directions. The advantages of the proposed designs include complete compatibility with electrostatic micromotors and low power consumption requirements. The proposed suspension can be developed with available components and can be successfully utilized as microbearings and microguides in various designs of micromotors.
