Pulse voltage determination for electrostatic micro manipulation considering surface conductivity and adhesion of glass particle

A model with surface conductivity and adhesional force is proposed to investigate the mechanism for electrostatic micro manipulation of a dielectric object using a single probe. The manipulation system consists of three elements: a conductive probe as a manipulator, a conductive plate as a substrate, and a dielectric particle as the target object for manipulation. The particle can be successfully picked up/placed if a rectangular pulse voltage is applied between the probe and the plate. The reliability of the picking up/placing operation is improved by applying a pulse voltage that is determined by a theoretical model considering surface conductivity and adhesion. To verify the theoretical prediction, manipulation experiment is conducted using soda-lime glass particles with radii of 20 μm and 40 μm.