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Top1. Introduction
With the development of modern science and technology, the nanometer positioning technology is urgently needed in many research and frontier technological domains such as aerospace technology, micro-electricity engineering, measurement science and technology, optics and light electronic engineering, precision engineering, bioengineering and nanometer science and technology (Kim & Gweon, 2012; Tian, Shirinzadeh, Zhang, & Alici, 2009; Polit & Dong, 2011; Dalvand & Shirinzadeh, 2012; Yong, Aphale, & Moheimani, 2009). This makes micro/nano positioning and manipulation to be one of the key technologies of the frontier science and engineering fields. In the nanometer science and the technology domains with vigorous development at present, the nanometer positioning technology has close relationship with the SPM (Scanning Probe Microscopy), light etch and precision manufacture technologies and is becoming the key technology of the electronic chips, computer digital storage and high-precision parts manufacture (Liaw & Shirinzadeh, 2008; Zhang, Chetwynd, Liu, & Tian, 2006; Jia, Tian, Zhang, & Liu, 2011; Liaw, Shirinzadeh, & Smith, 2007; Yong, Liu, & Moheimani, 2010). The nanometer positioning technology has become the foundation of nanometer measurement and atom manipulation engineering research and for future industrial applications.
In the existing micro-positioning technology, the sliding and rolling ball guides are usually utilized to form the positioning mechanisms. Due to the backlash and mechanical friction, the positioning precision cannot reach to nanometer level. Though the air-supporting guide can achieve nanometer level positioning precision, the high cost and large volume limit the use of such approaches. However, the mechanical micro-positioning actuator cannot reach up to nanometer level positioning precision due to the mechanical gap, frictional force and creep (Bhagat, Shirinzadeh, Tian, & Zhang, 2013; Yong, Moheimani, Kenton, & Leang, 2012). Flexure hinge is a kind of new elastic guide form. This kind of guide has the characteristics of no friction, no backlash, smooth motion and manufacture simplicity, which make it suitable for nanometer level positioning domain (Qin, Tian, Zhang, Shirinzadeh, & Fatikow, 2013; Tian, Zhang, & Shirinzadeh, 2011). The piezoelectric actuator becomes the ideal micro- positioning parts due to structural compactness, high resolution, control simplicity and no heat generation characteristics (Tian, Shirinzadeh, & Zhang, 2010). It is the effective method to implement nanometer level positioning by using the flexure hinge as elastic guide and piezoelectric actuator as driving unit.