Patent ID: 7557470

Claim:
An electromagnetically actuated microfabricated nanopositioner comprising: (a) a microfabricated compliant mechanism including: a stage; a support; a plurality of flexures coupled to said stage and to said support; a plurality of beams each coupled to at least one of said plurality of flexures; and said beams sized and shaped wherein displacement thereof generates a displacement of said stage relative to said support; said compliant mechanism being substantially planar to define in-plane directions substantially parallel thereto; and (b) a plurality of actuators respectively coupled to said plurality of beams, each of said actuators including: at least one first coil in the form of a microfabricated, electrically conductive first layer substantially parallel to said compliant mechanism; at least one second coil in the form of a microfabricated electrically conductive second layer superposed with said first coil to form a coil stack; and a magnet array disposed in magnetic communication with said coil stack; said first and second coils being selectively, electrically actuatable to generate relative movement between said coil stack and said magnet array both in-plane and out-of-plane; (c) wherein said stage is configured for controlled movement with 6 degrees of freedom.