Atomic force microscopy with a 12-electrode piezoelectric tube scanner

This paper presents a piezoelectric tube scanner with a novel electrode pattern and describes how it may be used for simultaneous sensing and actuation. The electrodes are arranged such that the tube is driven in an antisymmetrical manner, resulting in a collocated system suitable for positive position feedback (PPF). A PPF controller is designed to damp the scanner’s resonance. Piezoelectric strain-induced voltage is used as measurement. The device is then installed into an atomic force microscope to obtain open- and closed-loop images of a grating at 10, 15.6, and 31 Hz scan rates. The closed-loop images are noticeably superior to the open-loop images, illustrating the effectiveness of the proposed scanner when used simultaneously as a sensor and an actuator.