Design of a novel parallel flexure-based large stroke XY nano-positioner

In this paper, a bi-axial large stroke beam-flexure nano-manipulating servo stage is developed based on a novel compact flexure mechanism consisting of Z-shaped and Π-shaped flexure building blocks, which enables flexure supporting elements capable of adjusting the stiffness difference between the ending stage and the decoupling components. The proposed mechanism avoids the sudden change of stiffness of the Π-shaped flexure when the stage is in a back and forth motion. Therefore the overall design significantly reduces undesired error motions, which is a main purpose of our design. Mechanical analysis and dynamical modeling are provided with details, with which a PID controller is developed for nano-manipulation purposes. Based on the fabricated XY nano-stage, real time control and measurements are deployed, demonstrating the operating workspace up to 1.5 mm × 1.5 mm and the precision error of 16.25 nm (RMS) when tracking a sine wave with a stroke of 1.0 mm.