Thin-film piezoelectric traveling wave ultrasonic rotary motor

Abstract

The authors report demonstrated bi-directional rotary motion of a millimeter scale traveling wave ultrasonic motor (TWUM) using thin film lead zirconate titanate (PZT). Rotation speeds of up to 2300 RPM have been achieved at 10 V and less than 10 mW. Design, fabrication, and initial testing of the TWUM are described. The low-power, high-torque, zero-power off state rotary motors described here, could enable numerous applications in the fields of small-scale robotics, fuzing, and biomedical technology.