Since 2007, we have been developing our own high-performance nanopositioning stages (nanopositioners) for research purposes. Our nanopositioners have ranges up to 60 micrometers and dominant mechanical resonances as high as 130 kHz. Photographs of our positioners are shown below, in addition to related literature.  If you are interested in obtaining a stage for research work, please contact Dr. Kam K. Leang for more info.

First Generation Design
Our first generation design is described in

"High-speed serial-kinematic AFM scanner: design and drive considerations", K. K. Leang and A. J. Fleming Asian Journal of Control, Special issue on Advanced Control Methods for Scanning ProbeMicroscopy, Vol. 11, No. 2, pp. 144-153, 2009 [PDF].

The range is 10x10um, resonances are: x (29 kHz) and y (1.5 kHz).  The figure below shows the first-generation design.

Second Generation Design
Our second generation design is a monolithic design and is described in

"Integrated strain and force feedback for high performance control of piezoelectric actuators," A. J. Fleming and K. K. Leang, Sensors & Actuators: A. Physical, Vol. 161, pp. 256-265, 2010. [PDF]

The range is 10x10x3um and the resonances are: x (10 kHz), y (2.4 kHz), z (>40 kHz).

Third Generation Design
Our third generation design is also monolithic, but the mechanical resonances were optimized for high-speed positioning.  The designs are described in

"Dual-Stage Repetitive Control with Prandtl-Ishlinskii Hysteresis Inversion for Piezo-Based Nanopositioning", Y. Shan, B. J. Kenton and K. K. Leang, Mechatronics, Special Issue on Mechatronic Systems for Micro- and Nanoscale Applications (Accepted)

Range: 10umx10umx2um.  Resonances: x (12 kHz), y (5 kHz), z (>50 kHz).

An ultra-fast three-axis nanopositioner for video-rate AFM.  Range: 9umx9umx1um, resonances: x (24 kHz), y (6 kHz), z (>70 kHz).  The design is described in

"Design and control of a three-axis serial-kinematic high-bandwidth nanopositioner," B. J. Kenton and K. K. Leang IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics (In press)

High-performance z-stage positioner
Design described in,

"Bridging the gap between conventional and video-speed scanning probe microscopes,"
A. J. Fleming, B. J. Kenton and K. K. Leang Ultramicroscopy, vol. 110, no. 9, pp. 1205-1214, 2010. [PDF]

Range: ~2 um, resonance: ~130 kHz (unloaded).

Long-Range Stages
Serial kinematic nanopositioners.  Range: 40um x 40um x 3 um.  Resonances: x (713 Hz), y (509 Hz), z (>30 kHz).