Design of hysteresis-compensating iterative learning control for piezo-positioners: Application to atomic force microscopes

Advances in Scanning Force Microscopy for Dimensional Metrology

Achieving large motion range (> 1 mm) along with nanometric motion quality (< 10 nm), simultaneously, has been a key challenge in nanopositioning systems. Practical limitations associated with the individual physical components (flexure bearing, actuators, and sensors) and their integration, particularly in the case of multi-axis systems, have restricted the range of current nanopositioning systems to about 100 μm. This paper presents a novel physical system layout, with a parallel-kinematic XY flexure mechanism at its heart, that provides a high degree of decoupling between the two motion axes by avoiding geometric over-constraints, provides actuator isolation that allows the use of large-stroke single-axis actuators, and enables a complementary end-point sensing scheme that employs commonly available sensors. These attributes help achieve an unprecedented 10 mm × 10 mm motion range in the proposed nanopositioning system. Having overcome the physical system design challenges, a dynamic model of proposed nanopositioning system is created and verified via system identification methods. In particular, dynamic non-linearities associated with the large displacements of the flexure mechanism and resulting controls challenges are identified. The physical system is fabricated, assembled, and tested to validate its simultaneous large range and nanometric motion capabilities. Preliminary closed-loop test results, which highlight the potential of this new design configuration, are presented.Copyright © 2010 by ASME

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Design of a Large Range XY Nanopositioning System

Accurate and traceable calibration of lateral standards (1D and 2D gratings) is a basic metrological task for nano- and microtechnology. Both the mean pitch and the uniformity of the gratings should be measured quantitatively. Although optical diffractometers are effective for measuring the mean pitch, they are not able to measure the uniformity of gratings. In this study, the calibration of gratings is performed using a metrological large range scanning probe microscope with optimized measurement strategies. Two different kinds of data evaluation methods, a gravity centre method and a Fourier transform method, have been developed and investigated. Cosine error, a significant error source of the measurement, is analysed and corrected. Calibrations on several 1D gratings have been carried out. The calibrated mean pitch values have an excellent agreement with those measured by optical diffractometry. Nevertheless, irregularities of the gratings were only deduced from the SPM results. Finally, the usage of the 1D/2D gratings for the calibration of a typical SPM is illustrated.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0957-0233/18/2/S13/pdf

Accurate and traceable calibration of two-dimensional gratings

This review paper summarizes the European nanometrology landscape from a technical perspective. Dimensional and chemical nanometrology are discussed first as they underpin many of the developments in other areas of nanometrology. Applications for the measurement of thin film parameters are followed by two of the most widely relevant families of functional properties: measurement of mechanical and electrical properties at the nanoscale. Nanostructured materials and surfaces, which are seen as key materials areas having specific metrology challenges, are covered next. The final section describes biological nanometrology, which is perhaps the most interdisciplinary applications area, and presents unique challenges. Within each area, a review is provided of current status, the capabilities and limitations of current techniques and instruments, and future directions being driven by emerging industrial measurement requirements. Issues of traceability, standardization, national and international programmes, regulation and skills development will be discussed in a future paper.

http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0957-4484/22/6/062001/pdf

The European nanometrology landscape

We describe a metrological large range scanning probe microscope (LR-SPM) with an Abbe error free design and direct interferometric position measurement capability, aimed at versatile traceable topographic measurements that require nanometer accuracy. A dual-stage positioning system was designed to achieve both a large measurement range and a high measurement speed. This dual-stage system consists of a commercially available stage, referred to as nanomeasuring machine (NMM), with a motion range of 25 mm×25 mm×5 mm along x, y, and z axes, and a compact z-axis piezoelectric positioning stage (compact z stage) with an extension range of 2 μm. The metrological LR-SPM described here senses the surface using a stationary fixed scanning force microscope (SFM) head working in contact mode. During operation, lateral scanning of the sample is performed solely by the NMM. Whereas the z motion, controlled by the SFM signal, is carried out by a combination of the NMM and the compact z stage. In this case the compact z...

Metrological large range scanning probe microscope

The traceability of metrological scanning probe microscopes (MSPMs) is achieved in most cases by laser interferometers. Different means have been adopted to account for the nonlinearity of those interferometers. The thorough investigation of an existing MSPM shows the necessity of interferometrical position measurement with real time full-bandwidth nonlinearity correction. The paper demonstrates that the ellipse parameters of Heydemann nonlinearity correction are sufficiently stable and position independent. This is used in reducing the signal processing time by calculating the ellipse parameters in advance and fixing them during real time nonlinearity correction. As a result, a real time signal processing system with the ability of executing Heydemann correction in 0.32??s and a complete demodulation in 2.2??s is designed and implemented. It reduces the residual nonlinearity of interferometers from about 3.5 to <0.3?nm. Some measurement results of a flatness standard illustrate the effectiveness of this new method.

Guenter Wilkening

Papers

Metrological large range scanning probe microscope

Improving the performance of interferometers in metrological scanning probe microscopes