Electrodynamically levitated actuator

A method of actuating a microelectromechanical actuator, comprising:

• providing the microelectromechanical actuator comprising:
• a substrate having a surface,
• a conductive element, suspended over the substrate, and being electrostatically displaceable normal to the surface of the substrate,
• a center electrode, larger than a projection of the conductive element on the substrate, and is provided on the substrate under the conductive element, and
• a peripheral electrode, provided on the substrate outside the center electrode,
• wherein the center electrode is configured to selectively shield the conductive element from electrostatic forces induced by the peripheral electrode from beneath the conductive element, and to permit electrostatic forces induced by the peripheral electrode to interact with the conductive element from above the conductive element;
• applying an electric potential between the conductive element and the center electrode;
• and
• repulsing the conductive element from the substrate by applying an electric potential between the conductive element and the peripheral electrode.

A method, comprising:

• providing an electrostatically-repositionable tip of an actuator beam;
• displacing the actuator beam away from a supporting substrate of the actuator beam, by applying a bias voltage potential with respect to an actuator beam potential between a bias electrode on the supporting substrate beneath the actuator beam, and a side voltage potential between a pair of laterally located electrodes on the supporting substrate and the actuator beam, wherein the side voltage potential produces a force to levitate the actuator beam away from the supporting substrate, toward the surface;
• and
• detecting a displacement of the actuator beam.