Fabrication and testing of surface micromachined silicon carbide micromotors

This paper presents the fabrication and testing of surface micromachined silicon carbide (SiC) micromotors that use a multilayer polycrystalline SiC surface micromachining process. The fabrication process utilizes newly developed low temperature deposition and micromolding techniques to create the desired SiC structural components. The SiC micromotors were tested at room temperature in atmospheres of argon, nitrogen, oxygen and room air. The gear ratio as a function of applied voltage was higher for motors operating in room air in comparison to those operating in the other gases. Micromotors were also tested at elevated temperatures and found to operate up to 500 degrees C.