MEMS in Nanopositioning

The capability of producing highly-accurate mechanical motion with nanometer or sub-nanometer resolution is the defining characteristic of nanopositioners. With this motion typically being available over mechanical bandwidths of several kilohertz or greater, these mechatronic devices have become important tools in numerous fields of science and technology. Introducing microfabrication processes to produce microscale nanopositioners has recently been a major development in nanopositioning. Featuring an end-effector, actuators, and sensors, these MEMS devices are conceptually similar to their macroscale counterparts. However, MEMS nanopositioners potentially offer additional significant advantages as a result of their microfabricated nature, including a much smaller footprint, higher bandwidth, batch manufacturability, and potential for integration with electronic circuits. This paper reviews various concepts regarding actuation and sensing mechanisms for MEMS nanopositioners. While exploring the applications of these devices, the emphasis will be on the use of MEMS nanopositioners for developing on-chip atomic force microscopes.