Criterion for electrostatic detachment of an adhering microparticle

Shigeki Saito, Hideo Himeno, Kunio Takahashi, and Tadao Onzawa
Tokyo Institute of Technology, JP

Keywords: electrostatic, micro, manipulation, adhesion, detachment, voltage

Abstract:
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 micrometer diameter is experimentally clarified, and is revealed to be in good agreement with the voltage predicted by the 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.

NSTI Nanotech 2003 Conference Technical Program Abstract