The image is a colorized Scanning Electron Micrograph
(SEM) of a salient-pole electrostatically actuated micromotor
made from polycrystalline silicon using surface
micromachining techniques. The central rotating element of
the motor (e.g., the rotor) is the circular structure in
the middle (shown in blue) held to the substrate by the
central bearing (which is shown in red). Properly phased
voltage potentials are placed on the motor stators (typically
120 degrees advanced in phase sequentially around the
stators), which are equally spaced around the perimeter of
the rotor (also shown in blue) and these applied voltages on
the stators cause the central rotor to turn around the
bearing at extremely high angular velocities. This device
was made through the MEMS and Nanotechnology Exchange fabrication
network.
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