Micromanipulator
AssigneeForschungszentrum Julich GmbH
InventorsKarl-Heinz Besocke, Martin Teske, Josef Frohn, Francis J. Wolf
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A micromanipulator for the movement of an object relative to a treatment or analyzing position so that at least a part of the surface of the object can be treated or analyzed. The micromanipulator possesses a plurality of kinematic elements which support the object or an object holder and which, for this purpose, are equipped with a support for the object or the object holder. For the implementation of micromovements, the kinematic elements are piezo-electrically displaceable. The object is supported on at least one of the kinematic elements in such a manner that there can also be concurrently implemented micromovement and macromovements normal to the treatment or analysis plane of the object.
Claims10
A micromanipulator for imparting microscopic and macroscopic movements to an object, comprising:
- a support base including first and second base segments supported for macroscopic movement relative to each other;
- a plurality of kinematic elements for supporting the object, at least a first of the kinematic elements being connected to the first base segment, and at least a second of the kinematic elements being connected to the second base segment, one of said first and second kinematic elements including
- (i) a first member connected to the support base, and
- (ii) a second member slideably supported by the first member for microscopic movement relative to said first member,
- one of said first and second members including an adjustable length piezo-electric material;
- macroscopic moving means connected to the first and second base segments to impart macroscopic movement to the first base segment relative to the second base segment and, thereby, to impart macroscopic movement to the first kinematic element relative to the second kinematic element;
- and
- microscopic moving means including an alternating current electric voltage source connected to the piezo-electric material to expand and contract the piezo-electric material to impart microscopic sliding movement to the second member and to the object relative to the first member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.