Quasi-monolithic integration of silicon-MEMS with piezoelectric actuators for high-speed non-contact atomic force microscopy

High-speed atomic force microscopy (AFM) is actually a functional tool for the studies of dynamical phenomena of biological and chemical objects on a sub-second timescale. In order to increase the imaging speed, all dynamic components of AFM have to be optimized. This paper presents advancement in the development of a novel x-y scanner for high-speed non-contact AFM. We have developed a quasi-monolithic integration of a silicon parallel kinematic mechanism with piezoelectric actuators. Decoupling of motion in x-y directions is realized due to novel Omega-shaped flexures. For the control of the stage motion, we employed piezoresistive sensors integrated into silicon L-shaped guidance features. Due to the use of a push-pull actuation principle, we obtained a large scanning frequency and a 6 x 6 mu m(2) scanning area. The resonance frequency of the stage is about 26 kHz. The silicon stage facilitates fast quantitative imaging with high lateral resolution.