Abstract
Electrostatic chuck (ESC) is a tool which attracts objects using electrostatic force. Currently ESC is used only for objects having flat surface because the attractive force reduces for curved or rough surface. An ESC that can handle curved surface will expand its applications to MEMS or optical parts handling. An ESC consisting of compliant electrostatic inductive fibers which transform according to the profile of surface has been proposed for such use. This paper reveals the potential of the fiber ESC and shows its feasibility. The attractive force of the fiber ESC is theoretically investigated using a force curve of each fiber based on its mechanics. In addition, a prototype of the fiber ESC consisting of ten fibers arranged in a tilt is employed to experimentally observe its attractive force for curved surface. The attractive force for the surface which is modeled as sine wave with various amplitudes is observed, which shows the feasibility of the fiber ESC.
