Maglev linear actuator for nanopositioning

Manufacture of nanoscale structures and atomic-level manipulation is an emerging technology field in the 21st century [1,2]. This paper presents a novel magnetically levitated instrument capable of six-degrees-of-freedom (6-DOF) motion with a single moving part. The applications, where this generic positioning device can be used, are manufacturing of nanoscale structures, assembly and packaging of microparts, vibration isolation for delicate instrumentation and motion/force feedback in telepresence surgery. The key element of this stage is a linear actuator capable of providing forces in both suspension and translation without contact. The total range of motion for the linear actuator is ±250 μm. In this paper, we present the closed-loop control test results and stochastic noise/disturbance analysis and prediction for the linear actuator.