Aerostatic bearing arrangement and associated electrostatic preloading unit, particularly for vacuum application

An aerostatic bearing arrangement comprising:

• a base plate;
• at least one aerostatic bearing element comprising a bearing body having a load-carrying zone, wherein gas supply apertures or porous areas are arranged within the load-carrying zone, and a pressurized gas is fed to the gas supply apertures or the porous areas to form a gas cushion;
• an electrostatic preloading unit having at least one first electrode having a planar surface associated with the at least one aerostatic bearing element;
• a second electrode having a planar surface arranged at the base plate or formed by the base plate wherein said second electrode is separated from the at least one first electrode by a gap generated by said gas cushion between the base plate and the at least one aerostatic bearing element;
• and
• a voltage supply for applying a voltage to said at least one first electrode of the preloading unit so that the at least one first electrode works together with the second electrode to generate an electrostatic force component in a direction normal to a surface of the bearing body of the aerostatic bearing element.