by History and Development
The earliest documented nanomotor was invented in the 1800s, but it wasn’t until the mid-1900s that nanomotor started being developed with modern manufacturing techniques. Some key milestones in nanomotor development include:
– In the 1860s, French physicist Pierre Sainte-Lague designed and built one of the first functional nanomotor, which was powered by compressed air and could rotate at high speeds. However, the tolerances and materials of the time limited mass production.
– In the 1930s and 1940s, scientists experimented with early electromechanical Micro Motor using laminated cores and windings. But fabrication issues prevented miniaturization below a few millimeters.
– The invention of the integrated circuit in the late 1950s paved the way for smaller and more advanced electromechanical systems. Researchers began exploring the potential of nanomotor built with semiconductor manufacturing processes.
– In the 1970s and 1980s, advances in photolithography allowed nanomotor to be batch fabricated on silicon wafers using modified integrated circuit processes. This enabled m nanomotor smaller than 1mm across.
– By the 1990s and 2000s, the availability of multi-layer surface micromachining processes facilitated the creation of complex 3D nanomotor designs with out-of-plane components like gears and linkages.
Types of Micro Motors and Their Applications
There are several main categories of nanomotor that have been developed based on their actuation principle and applications:
– Electromagnetic nanomotor utilize coils and magnets to drive rotation or linear movement. They are commonly found in disk drives, cameras, probes and lab-on-a-chip devices.
– Piezoelectric nanomotor convert electrical signals into mechanical strain via materials like quartz or certain ceramics. Applications include lab equipment, medical devices and robotics.
– Electrostatic nanomotor function through the attraction and repulsion of charged plates or surfaces. They are often used in MEMS such as accelerometers due to their simple design.
– Shape memory alloy actuators leverage materials that change shape with heat, like nitinol wire, for micro pumping and microfluidic control.
– Dielectric elastomer actuators produce motion from voltage-induced changes in thin, elastic polymer films. Promising for haptic feedback, prosthetics and soft robotics.
Design Considerations and Manufacturing of Micro Motors
When designing nanomotor, size constraints necessitate ingenious solutions to mechanical, electrical and fabrication challenges. Fundamental factors that designers must account for include:
– Miniaturized drive mechanisms appropriate for micron scales, such as magnetic drives with coils wrapped on poles or electrostatic comb drives.
– Electrical connections and wiring compatible with very small areas, such as thin-film copper or aluminum lines. Integrated CMOS circuits help control multiple motors from a single chip.
– Efficient energy storage or generation methods to power motors without being parasitic, like electromagnetic harvesting or lithium thin films.
– Heat dissipation avenues such as through-wafer vias and conductive substrates, as heat flux densities increase drastically at small scales.
– Planarization and multi-layer fabrication incorporating materials like silicon, metals and polymers through batch processes like lithography, etching, deposition and wafer bonding.
– Tolerances approaching nanometers for critical alignments and clearances between components that operate near fluid film or stiction regimes.
– Testing and characterization techniques adapted for probing miniature structures, such as on-chip electrical tests or microscope-based motion analysis.
With diligent design and manufacturing, micro motors have achieved remarkable success in supporting miniaturized technologies. Continued progress will see them enable even more impactful applications.
