A Simple Stable Inertial Nanopositioner with Piezoelectric Stacks

To build a simple and stable nanopositioner which can reduce the complexity of the scanning probe microscopy (SPM) system, a novel inertial nanopositioner with piezoelectric stacks is present ed. The nanopositioner adopts two piezoelectric stacks and one sawtooth driving signal to achieve movement. The two piezoelectric stacks are set in the adjustable direction, and are then fixed on the base. The insulated rail is fixed between the free sides of the two piezoelectric stacks, and the central shaft is pressed by four SiN balls and one CuBe spring in the insulated rail. By applying one sawtooth wave on the piezoelectric stacks, the insulated rail can drive the central shaft to move a nanometer in distance due to its inertance. Experimental results indicate that the nanopositioner can realize nanometer precision fine-tuning and centimeter range coarse adjustment in any direction. The nanopositioner enjoys high compactness and excellent mechanical stability, so it can be easily implanted into precision optical systems and SPM systems.