Motorized manipulator for positioning a TEM specimen

1. A manipulator for positioning a specimen holder with sub-micron resolution, the manipulator comprising:

a base having a base surface;

a platform having a platform surface opposing the base surface;

at least three nano-actuators positioned between the base surface and the platform surface, each nano-actuator including a tip, the tips defining a plane, each tip capable of moving in the plane, the nano-actuators being pressed between the base surface and the platform surface such that the nano-actuators can rotate the platform with respect to the base in the plane and translate the platform parallel to the plane; and

a specimen holder connected to the platform.

2. The manipulator according to claim 1 in which the nano-actuators are pressed between the base surface and the platform surface with a force such that when the nano-actuators tips move at a sufficiently low speed, the base and platform move relative to each other without slippage of the nano-actuator tips against their contacting surface and when the nano-actuators tips move at a sufficiently high speed, the base and platform move relative to each other with slippage of the nano-actuator tips against their contacting surface, thereby extending the range of motion that can be effected by the nano-actuators by using multiple moves, some with slippage and some without slippage.

3. The manipulator according to claim 1 in which the nano-actuators are mounted on the platform.

4. The manipulator according to claim 1 in which the nano-actuators are mounted on the base.

5. The manipulator according to claim 1 further comprising biasing means for pressing the platform and the base toward the nano-actuators.

6. The manipulator according to claim 5 in which the biasing means comprises a coil spring or a belleville washer.

7. The manipulator according to claim 4 further comprising a second set of at least three nano-actuators, each having a tip, the tips defining a second plane, the second set of nano-actuators being positioned on a counter-base, each tip of the nano-actuators of the second set capable of moving in the second plane, the platform being pressed between the tips of the first and second sets of nano-actuators, the base and counter base being fixed relative to each other, and the platform being movable relative to the base and counterbase.

8. The manipulator according to claim 1 in which the platform or the base includes one or more smooth surfaces, each of the tips of the nano-actuators in contact with one of the one or more smooth surfaces, each of the tips equipped to move with respect to the one or more smooth surfaces.

9. The manipulator according to claim 8 in which the movement over the one or more smooth surfaces takes the form of slipping the tips over the one or more smooth surfaces.

10. The manipulator according to claim 1 in which a sub-manipulator is mounted on the platform, said sub-manipulator equipped to move the specimen holder with respect to the platform, and the specimen holder being attached to the sub-manipulator.

11. The manipulator according to claim 10 in which the sub-manipulator is equipped to position the specimen holder with additional degrees of freedom.

12. The manipulator according to claim 1 in which the nano-actuators are piezo-electric nano-actuators.

13. The manipulator according to claim 1 further comprising a rod extending from the platform, and in which the specimen holder is attached to the rod.

14. The manipulator according to claim 1 in which at least part of the base, the nano-actuators, the platform, and the specimen holder are equipped to be exposed to and to operate in a vacuum.

15. A particle-optical apparatus, comprising:

a particle source for producing a beam of particles;

one or more particle-optical lenses, each of said particle source and particle-optical lenses centred on a particle-optical axis along which the beam of particles may travel; and

a manipulator according to claim 1 for manipulating a specimen toward which the beam of particles is directed.

16. The particle-optical apparatus of claim 15 in which the particle-optical apparatus is an electron microscope.

17. The particle-optical apparatus of claim 15 in which the manipulator is equipped with a through-hole in the base and a through-hole in the platform for passing the beam of particles along the particle-optical axis.

18. The manipulator according to claim 17 in which the particle-optical axis is substantially perpendicular to the plane defined by the tips of the nano-actuators.

19. The manipulator according to claim 15 in which the particle-optical axis is substantially parallel to the plane defined by the tips of the nano-actuators.

20. A method of operating a manipulator according to claim 8 , the method comprising:

repeatedly performing the steps of

moving the one or more tips with a speed sufficiently low to avoid slippage of the tips over the one or more smooth surfaces, and

moving the one or more tips with a speed sufficiently high to cause slippage of the one or more tips over the one or more smooth surfaces, thereby repositioning the one or more tips with respect to the platform,

as a result of which the platform is moved with respect to the base over a distance or over an angle of rotation larger than can be achieved without repositioning the tips with respect to the platform.

21. A method of operating a manipulator including three or more nano-actuators mounted between a base and a platform, each nano-actuator having a tip, the tips being pressed against a smooth surface of the base or the platform, comprising:

moving the tips of the three or more nano-actuators with a speed sufficiently low to avoid slippage of the tips over the smooth surface, and

moving the one or more tips with a speed sufficiently high to cause slippage of the one or more tips over the smooth surface, thereby repositioning the one or more tips with respect to the smooth surface,

as a result of which a specimen holder is moved with respect to the base over a distance or over an angle of rotation larger than can be achieved without repositioning the tips with respect to the platform.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising repeating, at least once, the steps of:

moving the tips of the three or more nano-actuators with a speed sufficiently low to avoid slippage of the tips over the smooth surface, and

moving the one or more tips with a speed sufficiently high to cause slippage of the one or more tips over the smooth surface, thereby repositioning the one or more tips with respect to the smooth surface.

23. The method of claim 21 in which moving the tips of the three or more nano-actuators with a speed sufficiently low to avoid slippage of the tips over one or more smooth surfaces includes moving each of the tips of the three or more nano-actuators a distance of less than 1 nm.

24. The method of claim 21 in which moving the tips of the three or more nano-actuators with a speed sufficiently low to avoid slippage of the tips includes moving a specimen holder attached to the platform.

25. The method of claim 21 further comprising directing an electron beam toward a specimen in the specimen holder.