Positioning Control System for a Large Range 2D Platform with Submicrometre Accuracy for Metrological and Manufacturing Applications

The importance of nanotechnology in the world of Science and Technology has rapidly increased over recent decades, demanding positioning systems capable of providing accurate positioning in large working ranges. In this line of research, a nanopositioning platform, the NanoPla, has been developed at the University of Zaragoza. The NanoPla has a large working range of 50 mm × 50 mm and submicrometre accuracy. The NanoPla actuators are four Halbach linear motors and it implements planar motion. In addition, a 2D plane mirror laser interferometer system works as positioning sensor. One of the targets of the NanoPla is to implement commercial devices when possible. Therefore, a commercial control hardware designed for generic three phase motors has been selected to control and drive the Halbach linear motors.This thesis develops 2D positioning control strategy for large range accurate positioning systems and implements it in the NanoPla. The developed control system coordinates the performance of the four Halbach linear motors and integrates the 2D laser system positioning feedback. In order to improve the positioning accuracy, a self calibration procedure for the characterisation of the geometrical errors of the 2D laser system is proposed. The contributors to the final NanoPla positioning errors are analysed and the final positioning uncertainty (k=2) of the 2D control system is calculated to be ±0.5 µm. The resultant uncertainty is much lower than the NanoPla required positioning accuracy, broadening its applicability scope.<br /

Positioning uncertainty of the control system for the planar motion of a nanopositioning platform

The novel nanopositioning platform (NanoPla) that is in development at the University of Zaragoza has been designed to achieve nanometre resolution in a large working range of 50 mm × 50 mm. The 2D movement is performed by four custom-made Halbach linear motors and a 2D laser system provides positioning feedback, while the moving part of the platform is levitating and unguided. As control hardware, this work proposes the use of a commercial solution, in contrast to other systems, where the control hardware and software were specifically designed for the purpose. In a previous work of this research, the control system of one linear motor implemented in the selected commercial hardware was presented. In this study, the developed control system is extended to the four motors of the nanopositioning platform to generate a 2D planar movement in the whole working range of the nanopositioning platform. In addition, the positioning uncertainty of the control system is assessed. The obtained results satisfy the working requirements of the NanoPla, achieving a positioning uncertainty of ±0.5 µm along the whole working range

Design and implementation of high-bandwidth, high-resolution imaging in atomic force microscopy

Video-rate imaging with subnanometer resolution without compromising on the scan range has been a long-awaited goal in Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). The past decade saw significant advances in hardware used in atomic force microscopes, which further enable the feasibility of high-speed Atomic Force Microscopy. Control design in AFMs plays a vital role in realizing the achievable limits of the device hardware. Almost all AFMs in use today use Proportional-Integral-Derivative(PID) control designs, which can be majorly improved upon for performance and robustness. We address the problem of AFM control design through a systems approach to design model-based control laws that can give major improvements in the performance and robustness of AFM imaging. First, we propose a cascaded control design approach to tapping mode imaging, which is the most common mode of AFM imaging. The proposed approach utilizes the vertical positioning sensor in addition to the cantilever deflection sensor in the feedback loop. The control design problem is broken down into that of an inner control loop and an outer control loop. We show that by appropriate control design, unwanted effects arising out of model uncertainties and nonlinearities of the vertical positioning system are eliminated. Experimental implementation of the proposed control design shows improved imaging quality at up to 30% higher speeds. Secondly, we address a fundamental limitation in tapping mode imaging by proposing a novel transform-based imaging mode to achieve an order of magnitude improvement in AFM imaging bandwidth. We introduce a real-time transform that effects a frequency shift of a given signal. We combine model-based reference generation along with the real-time transform. The proposed method is shown to have linear dynamical characteristics, making it conducive for model-based control designs, thus paving the way for achieving superior performance and robustness in imaging

Positioning accuracy characterization of assembled microscale components for micro-optical benches

International audienceThis paper deals with the measurement of microscale components' positioning accuracies used in the assembly of Micro-Optical Benches (MOB). The concept of MOB is presented to explain how to build optical MEMS based on out-of-plane micro-assembly of microcomponents. The micro-assembly platform is then presented and used to successfully assemble MOB. This micro-assembly platform includes a laser sensor that enables the measure of the microcomponent's position after its assembly. The measurement set-up and procedure is displayed and applied on several micro-assembly sets. The measurement system provides results with a maximum deviation less than +/- 0.005°. Based on this measurement system and micro-assembly procedure, the article shows that it is possible to obtain a positioning errors down to 0.009°. These results clearly state that micro-assembly is a possible way to manufacture complex, heterogeneous and 3D optical MEMS with very good optical performances

Visualized multiprobe electrical impedance measurements with STM tips using shear force feedback control

Here we devise a multiprobe electrical measurement system based on quartz tuning forks (QTFs) and metallic tips capable of having full 3D control over the position of the probes. The system is based on the use of bent tungsten tips that are placed in mechanical contact (glue-free solution) with a QTF sensor. Shear forces acting in the probe are measured to control the tip-sample distance in the Z direction. Moreover, the tilting of the tip allows the visualization of the experiment under the optical microscope, allowing the coordination of the probes in X and Y directions. Meanwhile, the metallic tips are connected to a current-voltage amplifier circuit to measure the currents and thus the impedance of the studied samples. We discuss here the different aspects that must be addressedwhenconductingthesemultiprobeexperiments,suchastheamplitudeofoscillation,shear force distance control, and wire tilting. Different results obtained in the measurement of calibration samples and microparticles are presented. They demonstrate the feasibility of the system to measure the impedance of the samples with a full 3D control on the position of the nanotips

2D positioning control system for the planar motion of a nanopositioning platform

A novel nanopositioning platform (referred as NanoPla) in development has been designed to achieve nanometre resolution in a large working range of 50 mm × 50 mm. Two-dimensional (2D) movement is performed by four custom-made Halbach linear motors, and a 2D laser system provides positioning feedback, while the moving part of the platform is levitating and unguided. For control hardware, this work proposes the use of a commercial generic solution, in contrast to other systems where the control hardware and software are specifically designed for that purpose. In a previous paper based on this research, the control system of one linear motor implemented in selected commercial hardware was presented. In this study, the developed control system is extended to the four motors of the nanopositioning platform to generate 2D planar movement in the whole working range of the nanopositioning platform. In addition, the positioning uncertainty of the control system is assessed. The obtained results satisfy the working requirements of the NanoPla, achieving a positioning uncertainty of ±0.5 µm along the whole working range

Analysis and design of rapid prototyped mechanisms using hybrid flexural pivots

The ability of fabricating flexure based mechanism is of great importance in modern technology fields such as nanotechnology and precision engineering. For an instance, a great number of nanopositioning systems are made out of flexures. Examples of these systems are those used in scanning probe microscopy and many other types of metrology tools. Not having friction is a requirement to achieve nanometer scale motion and thus flexural systems are preferred as they lack of sliding surfaces. Moreover, flexure hinges are able to produce accurate and repeatable motion when properly designed. Conventionally, flexure-type systems are manufactured from high performance metals such as stainless and alloyed steel or aluminum alloys for high material performance and durability. Functional requirements such as high bandwidth, accuracy performance and geometric complexity require them to be manufactured as monolithic structures using conventional precision machining and electro discharge machining (EDM). However, such an approach is expensive and not practical for mass production. They can only be used for custom and high-value added applications. Conventional and emerging additive manufacturing technologies such as Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) offer an opportunity to fabricate cost effective flexure-based mechanisms with complicated spatial structures. However, the reported limitations of this approach are: dimensional accuracy, low quality surface finish, anisotropic properties, thermal instability, low holding force capabilities and severely reduced durability of the flexural elements as most rapid prototyping materials are unsuitable in fatigue loading conditions. This thesis work envisions an approach to manufacture hybrid mechanisms that uses i) economic methods like casting and molding (for high volume production) or 3-D printing (for custom, one-off systems) for manufacturing the mechanism structures/skeletons and ii) inserts of simple geometry with specialized materials (e.g. spring steel, etc.) to get the right material properties where need it. The objective of this research is to develop and exemplify a methodology that integrates a host material (rapid prototyping) with a flexure material and combines them to create a much more easy to produce mechanism. For this purpose, we focus on the design of the interfaces between the two materials and, particularly, the penetration depth of the insert into the host. Using Finite Element simplified model and tracking mechanical variables such as stress, pressure and elastic energy we arrived to the functions relating the optimum penetration depth (insertion iii distance where the elastic work done by the host material is minimum relative to that one done by the flexure) with the thickness of the flexure and the elastic properties of the two materials. For example, in the case of an aluminum host and steel inserts; the optimum penetration distance is six times the thickness of the insert whereas in the case of an ABS structure and steel inserts, the optimum penetration distance is ten times greater than the insert thickness. Further results include the study of extra compliance introduced to the system in design scenarios considering materials and manufacturing consideration for the fabrication, alignment and assembly of the mechanism. Finally, we demonstrate a piezoelectric-actuated four-bar mechanism, and an XYZ force sensor for suture training as general applications of these devices to the precision motion field and the medical industry. The methodology implemented in this work poses a simple and affordable way to fabricate, assemble and customize low-cost devices for precision motion application and it applies to both, systems fabricated by polymer and metal rapid prototyping technologies

Trajectory definition with high relative accuracy (HRA) by parametric representation of curves in nano-positioning systems

Nanotechnology applications demand high accuracy positioning systems. Therefore, in order to achieve sub-micrometer accuracy, positioning uncertainty contributions must be minimized by implementing precision positioning control strategies. The positioning control system accuracy must be analyzed and optimized, especially when the system is required to follow a predefined trajectory. In this line of research, this work studies the contribution of the trajectory definition errors to the final positioning uncertainty of a large-range 2D nanopositioning stage. The curve trajectory is defined by curve fitting using two methods: traditional CAD/CAM systems and novel algorithms for accurate curve fitting. This novel method has an interest in computer-aided geometric design and approximation theory, and allows high relative accuracy (HRA) in the computation of the representations of parametric curves while minimizing the numerical errors. It is verified that the HRA method offers better positioning accuracy than commonly used CAD/CAM methods when defining a trajectory by curve fitting: When fitting a curve by interpolation with the HRA method, fewer data points are required to achieve the precision requirements. Similarly, when fitting a curve by a least-squares approximation, for the same set of given data points, the HRA method is capable of obtaining an accurate approximation curve with fewer control points