Non-contact ultrasonic support of minute objects

Abstract

In near-field acoustic levitation, an object is levitated vertically upward above the vibrating surface of an ultrasonic transducer. On the other hand, it is known that an object can be suspended vertically downward under the vibrating surface in the water. In this phenomenon, it seems that the pressure acting on the object is negative at the certain gap. This paper describes application of the pressure for handling of minute planar objects in the air. Fabrication of an experimental setup according to the proposal and experimental results of the ultrasonic suspension in the air are reported.