Large air-gap magnetic levitation of electrodeposited Co-Ni-Mn-P films

In this paper, a magnetic levitation system for large air-gap microlevitation is presented. The levitation of silicon samples coated with Co-Ni-Mn-P magnetic film is demonstrated. The magnetic layer was electrodeposited at room temperature with a MEMS compatible process. The magnetic properties of the Co-based films are determined and the required magnetic field is calculated. The levitation setup is designed to generate the required field in an air-gap of 200 mm. The experimental results show the 1-D levitation of 19 mg electrodeposited samples in a constant and step-wise motion. It is observed that levitating objects spin around themselves due to the shape of the magnetic field generated. A modification to the levitation system is proposed to cope with the spinning problem that will further improve the levitation performance of the system.