Electrostatic particle transportation
AssigneeCalifornia Institute of Technology
InventorsYu-Chong Tai, Sang Wook Lee, Amish Desai
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods and apparatus implementing a technique for electrostatically transporting a particle through a medium. In general, one implementation includes a substrate; a first insulation layer formed on the substrate; a plurality of electrodes arranged in a sequence on the insulation layer, where the electrodes are divided into a plurality of groups and the electrodes are arranged by group; a second insulation layer over at least one of the electrodes; and a phase shift circuit connected to the electrodes which supplies a voltage wave-form to each group of electrodes, where each voltage wave-form for each group is phase-shifted relative to the other phase-shifted wave-forms.
Claims41
A method of electrostatically transporting a particle through a medium, comprising:
- generating a plurality of phase-shifted voltage wave-forms, each said voltage wave-form phase-shifted relative to each of the other phase-shifted voltage wave-forms;
- applying each phase-shifted voltage wave-form to a corresponding one of a plurality of electrodes to cause a particle to transport across the electrodes according to the phase-shifting,
- where the electrodes are arranged in sequential groups, each group including an electrode from each set in a sequence according to the phase-shift corresponding to that electrode, and
- where the particle is transported at a height over the electrodes between approximately 10 and 100% of the diameter of the particle.
A system for electrostatically transporting a particle through a medium, comprising:
- a substrate;
- a first insulation layer formed on the substrate;
- a plurality of electrodes arranged in a sequence on the insulation layer, where the electrodes are divided into a plurality of groups and the electrodes are arranged by group;
- a second insulation layer over at least one of the electrodes;
- and
- a phase shift circuit connected to the electrodes which supplies a voltage wave-form to each group of electrodes, where each voltage wave-form for each group is phase-shifted relative to the other phase-shifted wave-forms.
A method of manufacturing a system for electrostatically transporting a particle through a medium, comprising:
- coating a substrate with an oxide layer;
- depositing a first metal layer upon the oxide layer;
- patterning the first metal layer to form electrodes;
- depositing a first insulation layer upon the oxide layer and the electrodes;
- patterning the first insulation layer to open a contact hole to at least one electrode;
- depositing a second metal layer upon the first insulation layer, where the second metal layer contacts the first metal layer through the contact hole;
- patterning the second metal layer;
- and
- depositing a second insulation layer upon the first insulation layer and the patterned second metal layer.
A method of manufacturing an airborne particle filter including a system for electrostatically transporting a particle across the filter, comprising:
- depositing a first silicon nitride layer on a first side of a silicon wafer and a second silicon nitride layer on a second side of the silicon wafer;
- etching the second side of the silicon wafer, using the second silicon nitride layer thereon as a mask;
- patterning the first silicon nitride layer to open holes in the silicon nitride layer;
- depositing a first metal layer upon the first silicon nitride layer;
- patterning the first metal layer to form electrodes upon the first silicon nitride layer;
- depositing an insulation layer upon the first silicon nitride layer and the electrodes;
- patterning the insulation layer to open at least one contact hole to at least one electrode;
- depositing a second metal layer upon the insulation layer, where the second metal layer contacts at least one electrode through at least one contact hole;
- patterning the second metal layer;
- and
- etching the silicon wafer from the second side to remove the silicon contacting the first silicon nitride layer opposite the electrodes.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.