Nanopositioner design using tapered flexures: A parametric study

Nanopositioner design is a crucial aspect in increasing the scanning speed of an Atomic Force Microscope. The scanning speed is dependent on the resonance frequency, thus on stiffness and mass of the nanopositioner. A detailed study of the design parameters of a nanopositioner is presented to investigate the effect of each parameter on stiffness and mass of the structure. It is shown that the use of tapered flexures reduces the central mass of the stage resulting in a higher natural frequency as compared to straight flexures for the same travel range. Analytical framework for stiffness calculations of tapered flexures is also presented. Designs incorporating the two types of flexures with similar bending and out-of-plane stiffness are presented and compared. It is observed that there is a 25%increase in the natural frequency with tapered flexures. Limitations and future work are also discussed.