A novel direct drive electromagnetic XY nanopositioning stage

Abstract To overcome the inherent limitation of existing nanopositioning stages running in hundreds of micrometres, a novel normal-stressed electromagnetic actuator is developed to construct a direct drive XY nanopositioning stage, which features a contactless dual-axial actuation with a relatively high force density, a loosely-constrained stroke, and a monolithic magnetic circuit. Assisted by the established model, the mechanical-electromagnetic parameters for the stage are determined with a further verification through both finite element analyses and experimental tests. By combining a PID-based and a parallel resonant controller, the control system for the stage is constructed, which is then demonstrated by ultra-precisely tracking a Lissajous trajectory.