Micromanipulation platform for micro- and nanoscale applications

This paper presents a micromanipulation platform for micro- and nanoscale applications. The micromanipulation platform is a device platform that can be used for different applications that require actuation and sensing at nanometer resolution. Presently, nanoactuation devices on the market are very expensive, and often limited in applications. Our approach is to make the platform with off-the-shelf components and thus enable reasonable cost of the instrument. In this paper we present a generalized modular architecture for both the device hardware and the control software on a PC. The modular architecture enables swift changing of actuators, sensors and tools with minimal effort, thus being an ideal frame for various applications. As a test case we present an adhesion measurement by pushing a small particle on a coated surface and show how the architecture is used in this context. The test case shows several problems that occur in nanoscale devices and how the device platform overcomes these problems. The results of the test case are analyzed and the results are presented. The test case shows that the architecture is suitable for its purpose.