Design and characterisation of a serial-kinematic nanopositioner for high-speed AFM

A flexure-guided serial-kinematic XYZ nanopositioner for high-speed Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) is presented in this paper. Two aspects influencing the performance of serial-kinematic nanopositioners are studied in this work. First, mass reduction by use of tapered flexures is used to enhance the natural frequency of the nanopositioner. Second, a study of possible sensor positioning in a serial-kinematic nanopositioner is presented. An arrangement of sensors for exact estimation of cross-coupling is incorporated in the proposed design. Characterization in terms of range, hysteresis, cross-coupling and dynamic response of the nanopositioner is presented. Scanning results up to 640 Hz are also furnished. Outcomes and future work are discussed in conclusion.