A Two-Axis Reluctance-Actuated Compliant Nanopositioner with Enhanced Linearity

Hybrid reluctance actuators are increasingly considered superior due to the remarkable motor constant, yet a challenge is the inherent nonlinearity of the large stroke reluctance actuator. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is crucial for nanometric precision characterization and lithography in nanotechnology. However, conventional AFM suffers limitations of the piezoelectric stack’s restricted stroke. This paper proposes a novel two-axis reluctance-actuated nanopositioner with enhanced linearity supporting large-scale AFM. To mitigate the reluctance actuator’s inherent nonlinearity, a nonlinear compliant compensator is utilized. A two-step approach is presented to guide the design of both the reluctance actuator and nonlinear XY motion stage. Theoretical analyses and simulations validate that the proposed system achieves enhanced linearity and extended stroke, opening new avenues for large-scale AFM.