A high-speed electromagnetically-actuated scanner for dual-stage nanopositioning

This paper presents the mechanical design, finite element simulations and experimental verification of an electromagnetically-actuated uniaxial high-speed nanopositioner. The nanopositioner is designed specifically as a fast, short-range scanner for a dual-stage nanopositioning system. To that end, the scanner has high linearity owing to its electromagnetic actuation and well-defined dynamic behavior over a large bandwidth. There was significant emphasis on reducing the mechanical and thermal coupling from the actuation block. Using model-based feedback controllers with direct shaping of the closed-loop noise transfer function, experimental results are presented in which the scanner is integrated in a dual-stage nanopositioning system and used for high-speed imaging in a custom-built atomic force microscope.