Abstract: Electrostatic bearings are subject to performance limits which are commonly resulted from the limited suspen- sion voltage and its slew rate supplied by high-voltage amplifiers. The choice of the suspension voltage has to satisfy various demands and its final solution, according to the analytical results, is determined by the requirements of load capacity, unbalanced force suppression, and voltage distortion. Meanwhile, the force slew rate which is limited by the power consumption of high-voltage amplifiers introduces nonlinear behaviors. The problem of identifying the suspension voltage and its slew rate when used in an electrostatic bearing with a known structure subject to a known load is solved by the derived equations.

Key words: Electrostatic bearing, Electrostatic force, High-voltage amplifier, Suspension voltage Voltage slew rate