Fundamental Investigations in the Design of Five-Axis Nanopositioning Machines for Measurement and Fabrication Purposes

Abstract

The majority of nanopositioning and nanomeasuring machines (NPMMs) are based on three independent linear movements in a Cartesian coordinate system. This in combination with the specific nature of sensors and tools limits the addressable part geometries. An enhancement of an NPMM is introduced by the implementation of rotational movements while keeping the precision in the nanometer range. For this purpose, a parameter-based dynamic evaluation system with quantifiable technological parameters has been set up and employed to identify and assess general solution concepts and adequate substructures. Evaluations taken show high potential for three linear movements of the object in combination with two angular movements of the tool. The influence of the additional rotation systems on the existing structure of NPMMs has been investigated further on. Test series on the repeatability of an NPMM enhanced by a chosen combination of a rotary stage and a goniometer setup are realized. As a result of these test series, the necessity of in situ position determination of the tool became very clear. The tool position is measured in situ in relation to a hemispherical reference mirror by three Fabry–Pérot interferometers. FEA optimization has been used to enhance the overall system structure with regard to reproducibility and long-term stability. Results have been experimentally investigated by use of a retroreflector as a tool and the various laser interferometers of the NPMM. The knowledge gained has been formed into general rules for the verification and optimization of design solutions for multiaxial nanopositioning machines.

Perspectives on Robust Design – An Overview of Challenges and Research Areas Across Industry Fields

“…These new working principles and their underlying effects, incl. side effects (Schienbein, 2021) that are not wanted but also cannot be prevented, must first be understood so that a maturity growth can be observed (see Table 3). Relevant development decisions are made on the concept level, as the solution principles have a great impact on the robust functional realisation.…”

Autocollimation employing optical frequency comb

“…The motion of an object is described in six degrees of freedom. Measurement of angular displacement is important for production machinery [1][2][3] and robots [4][5][6] where rotational motion is important, as well as for motion errors in systems where rotational motion should be avoided [7]. Therefore, many angle measurement methods have been proposed and continue to be proposed in recent years [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16].…”

High-precision radius and sphericity measurement for microspheres of micro-CMM probe tip

“…According to the research of Meli et al [8], two factors limit the measurement of small and micro-object features: (1) the accuracy of the CMM stage and (2) the size of the probing element. Many methods have been proposed and developed to improve the control and measurement accuracies of moving stages [9][10][11][12][13][14], and a novel compensation method of volumetric errors for micro-CCMs using Abbe and Bryan principles [15] has also been proposed to attain hundreds of nanometers precision by our team. As for the probing element, although the optical probes are highly suitable for measuring small features, only the tactile probes have the fundamental capabilities and properties needed for full-3D high-precision measurement of the microdevices and features with a high aspect ratio and wellestablished traceability.…”