Design of a long range nano-scale resolution mechanism

This paper presents the development of a coarse-fine dual precision positioning stage to achieve long travel range and high accuracy. The fine stage is arranged in series with a coarse stage. The key in the fine stage design is the choice of a toggle mechanism for a tight mechanical loop with high stiffness and compactness. We designed the toggle mechanism for reduction of the displacement to suppress signal noises. The performance of the coarse and fine stages was verified with an optical encoder and capacitive sensor, respectively. The measurement results show that the dual mechanism has a travel range of 1 mm and resolution of 30 nm.