Serial-kinematic monolithic nanopositioner with in-plane bender actuators

This article describes a monolithic nanopositioner constructed from in-plane bending actuators which provide greater deflection than previously reported extension actuators, at the expense of stiffness and resonance frequency. The proposed actuators are demonstrated by constructing an XY nanopositioning stage with a serial kinematic design. Analytical modeling and finite-element-analysis accurately predicts the experimental performance of the nanopositioner. A 10 ?m range is achieved in the X and Y axes with an applied voltage of +/-200 V. The first resonance mode occurs at 250 Hz in the Z axis. The stage is demonstrated for atomic force microscopy imaging.

Automated summary

This article presents a monolithic nanopositioner with in-plane bending actuators that offer greater deflection but lower stiffness and resonance frequency compared to extension actuators. The XY nanopositioning stage with serial kinematic design achieves a 10 μm range in X and Y axes at +/-200 V, with a first resonance mode at 250 Hz in the Z axis. The stage is successfully demonstrated for atomic force microscopy imaging.