Precision Engineering for Mechatronic Imaging Systems Event

Mechatronic imaging systems, such as atomic force microscopes (AFM), wafer scanners, adaptive optics, and laser scanning microscopes, demand a continuous improvement of system speed, range, and precision, which requires advanced mechatronic designs and highly sophisticated motion control. Already at the system design phase all components involved in the specific application have to be considered. Examples for these components are the mechanical structure of the device, the power amplifier, the actuators, the sensors, electronics, and the real-time control system. To meet the demanding specifications, the final system, including all hard- and software components, has to be tailored to and optimized for each specific application. This presentation addresses these challenges and possible solutions for precision motion and measurement systems by illustrating examples for AFM imaging as well as confocal laser scanning microscopy.

One focus in AFM instrumentation is on speeding up these systems in order to develop instruments for imaging applications on the nano-scale in real-time, i.e. about three orders of magnitude faster than conventional AFMs. The resulting prototype AFM system allows imaging in real-time at speeds of up to 61 images per second. This new generation of AFMs will enable observation of dynamic chemical and biological processes on the molecular level and, thus, open a wide range of new applications in the broad fields of material sciences and life sciences.

Further instrumentation efforts for mechatronic imaging systems aim towards the correction of aberrations by means of adaptive optics and integration of modern control methods, enabling fast and accurate positioning and imaging in optical microscopy, in biomedical applications, in nano-scale production as well as in semiconductor industry.

The presented examples successfully demonstrate the potential to improve the performance of mechatronic imaging systems via an integrated mechatronic design approach by utilizing the interplay between process design and control design.