New multi-degree of freedom piezoelectric micromotors for micromanipulator applications

The authors have developed new multidegrees of freedom (d.o.f.) piezoelectric micromotors using both stationary bending modes and traveling wave technology. These devices are respectively based on the conversion, through frictional contact, of bending vibrations sustained in one or several vibrators into rigid body displacements of a moving element. They have allowed the design and the development of a micromanipulator with five degrees of freedom composed of stationary wave type linear translators (2 d.o.f.) and traveling wave type spherical micromotors (3 d.o.f.). These two motors can be driven reversibly in both directions with linear speeds between one mm. s^-1 and few cm. s^-1. The paper shows however that micrometer steps can be activated for micropositioning applications without displacement limitations