Development of an integrated guiding and actuation element for high dynamic nanopositioning systems

In nano precision technology, actuating along the vertical axis is a special challenge because of the permanent gravitational force. In this paper, the development of an integrated guiding and actuation element for the vertical motion is presented. A pneumatic-cylinder-like setup is used with its pressure being load controlled, to compensate the gravitational force of the load. An additional electromagnetic drive creates only dynamic forces for the precision motion, keeping the ohmic heat emission to a minimum. For the vertical guiding an aerostatic bushing is used. The whole setup sits on a planar aerostatic bearing pad. Therefore, translational friction can be neglected. Initial testing results of such a unit are presented and an outlook for future research work is given.