System and method for reducing electric discharge breakdown in electrostatically levitated MEMS devices
AssigneeBall Semiconductor, Inc.
InventorsNobuo Takeda, Risaku Toda
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system and method for reducing electric discharge breakdown occurrences in a micro-electromechanical system device is provided. The device comprises a core, a shell, and electrodes, which may be formed on the shell. When voltage is applied to the electrodes, each electrode applies an electrostatic force on the core. The electrodes are arranged in concentric sets, where each set may comprises two or more electrodes. Due to the concentricity of the electrodes, a minimum distance is maintained between the core and an outer electrode of an electrode set when the core nears or touches an inner electrode of the electrode set.
Claims18
A micro-electromechanical system device, the device comprising:
- a core;
- a shell surrounding at least a portion of the core;
- and
- a first electrode and a second electrode positioned proximate to the shell and operable to exert an electrostatic force on the core, the first and second electrodes being arranged concentrically with respect to one another, so that the occurrence of electric discharge breakdowns is reduced.
A micro-electromechanical system, the system comprising:
- a spherical core;
- a spherical shell surrounding the core;
- and
- a first electrode and a second electrode positioned proximate to the interior of the shell, the first and second electrodes being concentrically arranged, so that electric discharge breakdown occurrences are minimized when an electrostatic force is exerted on the core.
A method for reducing the occurrence of electric discharge breakdowns in a micro-electromechanical system comprising a core and a shell, the method comprising:
- creating at least a first electrical path and a second electrical path on the shell;
- and
- creating a first electrode and a second electrode on the shell, the first and second electrodes sharing a common center point and accessible to the first and second electrical paths, respectively;
- so that power can be provided to the first and second electrodes, the power enabling the first and second electrodes to exert an electrostatic force on the core.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.