High-bandwidth nanopositioner with magnetoresistance based position sensing

Nanopositioning is a key enabling technology for nanoscale metrology and manipulation. This paper details experimental studies aimed at achieving high-bandwidth nanopositioning through a combination of scanner design with excellent dynamical behavior, novel high-bandwidth position sensing, and modern control techniques. Through a combination of high stiffness/rigidity of the flexures, a low carried mass, and uncomplicated mechanical connections, an X/Y scanner is designed which has the first resonant frequencies beyond 4 kHz in both scan axes. For closed-loop operation of such fast scanners, there is a need for high-bandwidth, low-noise sensing schemes. A sensing concept based on magnetoresistance is presented that shows great potential towards providing low-noise position sensing over a very wide bandwidth. Atomic force microscopy imaging experiments of nanoscale structures are presented to illustrate the frame-per-second imaging capability of the nanopositioning system. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.