Direct electrostatic levitation and propulsion of silicon wafer

A new type of contactless wafer manipulator, featuring "direct electrostatic levitation and propulsion of silicon wafer (DELP-SW)", has been successfully developed. The novel aspect of this manipulator is that a silicon wafer can be directly levitated and driven via electrostatic forces. In this paper, a brief review of basic principles is presented. This is followed by a description of the structure of a prototype DELP-SW mechanism, including electrode design, position feedback control method, driving principle, and the operational procedure. Experimental results, which demonstrate completely contactless transportation of an 8-in silicon wafer, are also presented.