Ultracompact Planar Positioner Driven by Unbalanced Frictional Forces

This paper proposes a new ultracompact planar positioner driven by unbalanced frictional forces. The prototype of the designed positioner is 17 mm  17 mm  9 mm in size, and is simply constructed using lead zirconate titanate piezoelectric elements, neodymium magnetic feet, and junction pieces. Alternating static and kinetic frictional forces are utilized to control the motion of the positioner. The working principle is illustrated, and the performance of the positioner is evaluated under atmospheric and vacuum conditions. Under atmospheric conditions, the positioner had a minimum step size of approximately 17 nm at 55 V, a maximum step size of approximately 1.6 μm, and a moving speed of approximately 4 μm/s at 138 V. However, the step size significantly decreased in vacuum. The step size can be controlled by adjusting the frictional forces on the magnetic feet. In addition, the positioner showed instability caused by the wear of the stainless plate. This problem was resolved by using a borosilicate glass that was fixed on the stainless plate, and the position accuracy was obviously improved.