At NanoFab, a 6D nanopositioning system was realized, which is based on a combination of a 200 mm planar drive with a vertical system consisting of three stroke modules. The first objective of this project is metrologically qualify this 6D positioning system for use as measuring and fabrication system, in particular characterize external and internal disturbances (vibration, temperature, pressure, air flow, etc.) that can affect its performance and positioning uncertainty. The second objective is to then integrate various probe-based analytical and fabrication systems (e.g. atomic force microscopy, scanning probe or plasmonic lithography) into the setup and characterize their current dynamic performance limits. This will require close cooperation with the respective NanoFab projects A1 (Scanning probe lithography) and C1 (Plasmonics). The third objective is the improvement of the dynamic performance, because a significant increase in writing speed from µm/s to mm/s is required to meet the demand for efficient nanostructuring on a large scale. This will require novel strategies, for example dual cantilever systems with separate analytical and fabrication probes for concurrent, fast fabrication height control along the chosen trajectory. This will culminate in high-profile demonstrations of the capabilities of the 6D nanopositioning system for probe-based fabrication systems.
