A micro electrostatic linear accelerator based on electromagnetic levitation

This paper presents a novel micro linear accelerator that can levitate and accelerate micro objects. The proposed device first levitates micro objects using electromagnetic induction and then accelerates them along a linear path using electrostatic forces. This is the first time that electromagnetic levitation and electrostatic propulsion techniques are used together to realize a miniaturized linear accelerator. The design enables contactless acceleration and positioning of micro objects on a predefined trajectory. It has been experimentally shown that by using the proposed design, a 1×1mm
²
sized and 7μm thick micro object could be levitated to a maximum height of 82μm and propelled forward continuously at a maximum average forward velocity of 3.6mm/s.