Development and prototype of a textured nanoimprinted air bearing system

Silicon wafers and solar cells are delicate components used in the semiconductor industries and energy industries. Handling and transportation can easily damage these components. Conventional handling methods with mechanical contact can cause various damages to these delicate surfaces. Air bearings can provide a solution by enabling an almost...

Development of a novel manufacturing method for a contactless handling system using a variable outlet restriction

Improved handling methods are required in order to decrease the manufacturing cost of solar cells and flat panel display. A potential method would be to use a contactless handling system based on air bearing technology. As the name implies, the substrate levitates on a thin film (~10 μm) of air. The viscous shear force is used to exert a lateral...

Development of a low-cost radial air bearing system

The main goal of this master thesis is to develop a new low-cost radial air bearing system for the CT-scanner, which is currently expensive due to the strict tolerances on the large sized porous aerostatic radial air bearings as well as on the counter surface. This thesis has generated several potential low-cost air bearing system concepts. The...