Author: Scott Jordan, Brian Lula and Stefan Vorndran
Saturday, April 01, 2017
Nanopositioning mechanisms are key to progress in fields as diverse as materials science, genomics, photonics, defense, biophysics and semiconductors. A nanopositioning mechanism is defined as a positioning device capable of nanometer or sub-nanometer resolution. There are several types of nanopositioners; the article covers several new designs, including miniature inertia motors, parallel kinematics, voice-coil drives, frictionless air bearing stages and piezo-driven, flexure guided stages equipped with direct metrology feedback. The pace of innovation in recent years has been blistering.