A 2-DOF Electrostatically Actuated MEMS Nanopositioner for On-Chip AFM

Abstract

A new 2-DOF microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)-based parallel kinematic nanopositioner with electrostatic actuation is presented. The device has been designed, fabricated, and implemented using the silicon-on-insulator-based MEMSCAP SOIMUMPs process. Experimental characterization shows that in-plane displacements in excess of 15 µm are achievable and that the first resonant mode along each axis is located at approximately 820 Hz. The nanopositioner's use in a practical application is demonstrated, with the device being used as the scanning stage during an atomic force microscope scan.[ 2011-0372]Index Terms-Atomic force microscopy, electrostatic actuators, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), nanopositioning.

High-stroke silicon-on-insulator MEMS nanopositioner: Control design for non-raster scan atomic force microscopy

“…A 2-degree-offreedom (DOF) MEMS nanopositioner was introduced in Ref. 19, with the device using a parallel kinematic design and electrostatic actuation. The nanopositioner achieved mechanical displacements in excess of 15 µm per axis, and a bandwidth of approximately 820 Hz.…”

A Feedback Controlled MEMS Nanopositioner for On-Chip High-Speed AFM

“…This represents an important step towards the development of miniaturized, mass-produced AFMs that represent a fullyintegrated, low-cost solution for on-chip scanning. Such a MEMS-based AFM scanner was demonstrated in [16], where a 2-degree-of-freedom (DOF) MEMS nanopositioner fabricated using a commercial silicon-on-insulator (SOI) process was used in place of the existing scanning stage for an off-the-shelf AFM. The nanopositioner's stage contained a series of 3 μm gold features that were used to represent a scan sample, and an open-loop scan of the features was successfully performed by the AFM in tapping mode.…”

Control of a Novel 2-DoF MEMS Nanopositioner With Electrothermal Actuation and Sensing

“…Nanopositioners based on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) fabrication processes possess a number of potential advantages compared with macroscale nanopositioners including lower fabrication costs, a smaller overall footprint, ease of bulk fabrication, and increased bandwidth [5], [6]. A novel MEMS nanopositioner for AFM applications was demonstrated in [7], with the device acting as the scanning stage for a commercial AFM. A series of gold features was designed as part of the device's stage to represent a scan sample, and an image of the features was successfully obtained via an open-loop scan performed in tapping mode.…”