Piezoelectric inchworm-type probe-approaching stepper

A piezoelectronic inchworm-style stepper was designed for probe approaching in scanning probe microscope(SPM). The whole system consists of mechanical structures, hardware control units and PC software control units. Flexible hinges and three PZT stacks were used to constitute the stepper. ANSYS was utilized to analyze and optimize the structure of the mechanism. Three synchronous timing sequences were formed to drive the piezoelectric stacks. The performance of the stepper was tested by the laser interferometer. The deviation of each step is less than 31.2nm. With the advantages of no lubrication, less calorific value and high precision, its potential application is ultra-high vacuum environment.