Electromagnetic nanopositioner

This thesis presents the analysis, design, and control of a new class of magnetic nanopositioner. Applications for this class of positioner include sample positioning for scanning microscopy and interferometry, nanofabrication, vibration cancellation, biological cell tracking/positioning, and beam focusing/steering. The nanometer-resolution positioning required in these applications is often provided using piezoelectric ceramic actuators. The drawbacks to using piezoelectric actuators include high hysteretic heating, lightly damped structural resonances, the need for preload on the actuator stack, as well as the requirement for a high voltage amplifier. This thesis demonstrates an electromagnetically driven nanopositioner that is suspended on rubber bearings as a promising, low cost alternative to the piezoelectric nanopositioners. Several key features of the electromagnetic nanopositioner are the flux-steering actuator that applies a force linear in both coil current and displacement, replacement of the conventional metal flexures with rubber bearings, as well as power and sense electronics that can be easily integrated into a compact package. A prototype of this class of nanopositioner with 100,pm of travel and a maximum force output of 460 N was built and tested.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Mechanical Engineering.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2006

Author dc:creator

• Cuff, David P. (David Preston)

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• David L. Trumper.

• Mechanical Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/38712

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/38712