Electrostatic rotation of glass disc

This paper reports the successful electrostatic rotation of a glass disc of 65 mm diameter. The realized electrostatic glass disc drive features high compactness and simplicity. The goal of the presented experimental work is to verify that the concept of the electrostatic glass motor can be applied to data storage devices, especially for disc drives with diameters <1 in. The basic principle of non-contact torque generation using the inherent properties of glass and a first prototype, using a commercial glass disc for hard disc drives will be presented. Satisfactory experimental results indicate that this approach can be an interesting alternative for electromagnetic solutions.