Nanopositioning systems and associated methods
AssigneeThe Texas A&M University System
InventorChaBum Lee
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A nanoscale positioning system for positioning a positionable component includes a motion platform including a first end, a second end, a shuttle positioned between the first end and the second end and configured to support the positionable component, a flexure member, and a fluid passage extending through the flexure member from the first end to the second end of the motion platform, and a pressure controller coupled to the motion platform and fluidically connected to the fluid passage, wherein the pressure controller is configured to selectably provide a fluid pressure in the fluid passage to flex the flexure member whereby the shuttle is displaced along a motion axis of the motion platform.
Claims12
A nanoscale positioning system for positioning a positionable component, comprising:
- a motion platform comprising a first end, a second end, a shuttle positioned between the first end and the second end and configured to support the positionable component, a flexure member, and a fluid passage extending through the flexure member from the first end to the second end of the motion platform;
- and
- a pressure controller coupled to the motion platform and fluidically connected to the fluid passage, wherein the pressure controller is configured to selectably provide a fluid pressure in the fluid passage to flex the flexure member whereby the shuttle is displaced along a motion axis of the motion platform.
A method for positioning a positionable component, comprising:
- (a) determining a desired displacement of the positionable component from an initial position along a motion axis of a motion platform, the positionable component being supported on a shuttle of the motion platform;
- and
- (b) operating a pressure controller coupled to the motion platform to selectably provide a fluid pressure in a fluid passage formed in the motion platform to flex a flexure member of the motion platform and displace the positionable component along the motion axis in response to determining the desired displacement of the positionable component, wherein the displacement provided by the flexure member to the positionable component is less than 1 millimeter (mm).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.