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Modeling a submicrometer electrostatic motor
J H Wright1, D P Sheehan, A R Putnam
1Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of San Diego, San Diego, California 92110, USA.
Abstract:
Numerical models are developed for a recently proposed submicrometer device that uses the electric field energy of a biased parallel-plate semiconducting capacitor to propel a piston through the open capacitor gap. Through variation of design parameters or applied external bias, actuator forces on the order of hundreds of piconewtons are developed for device size scales ranging from 10(-7) m to 10(-4) m per side. A rotary configuration of the device is also presented.
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