Precision Control of Maglev Nanopositioners

Recent developments in nanotechnology call for increasingly stringent requirements on precision positioning, range, multi-DOF motion and throughput. Most of the prevailing positioners have reached a threshold and are incapable of meeting one or more of these demanding requirements. This research is the first attempt to demonstrate the use of maglev as an alternate nanopositioning technology for industrial applications. Some of these applications are nanoscale lithography, manipulation and imaging. The key objectives of this research were to devise precision control strategies to overcome the technical challenges of the inherently unstable and nonlinear maglev systems, and to demonstrate their capabilities as the next-generation nanopositioners. These positioners are capable of generating all the six-axis motions with a single levitated platen, which gives them an edge over most of their counterparts. The control strategies developed, on the other hand, are based on a general class of multivariable systems. Hence the findings of this research should be of use to the control systems community as much as they will be to the precision positioning industry.