Release Method of Microobjects Based on Piezoelectric Vibration

A release method of microobjects is presented based on the piezoelectric vibration. To achieve an effective release, the piezoelectric vibration is added to overcome adhesion force happened in the microoperation. This technique employs inertia force to overcome adhesion force, thereby achieving 90% repeatability with a releasing accuracy of 4±0.5 μm, which was experimentally quantified through the manipulation of 20-80 μm polystyrene spheres under an optical microscope. Experimental results confirmed that this adhesion control technique was independent of substrate. Theoretical analyses were conducted to understand the releasing mechanism. Therefore, the micromanipulation system proved to be effective for active releasing of micromanipulation. A novel gripper structure with triple finger is devised. In the design, three cantilevers are considered as the end effectors of the fingers, driven by piezoelectric ceramic transducer (PZT). Tungsten tipped probes are used to pick and place the micro objects.