Direct force manipulation at the nanoscale is very promising. The use of the atomic force microscope (AFM) as a nanomanipulator has been extensively investigated during the last decade. However, the repeatability and accuracy of AFM-based manipulation are still major concerns because of the complex physics and mechanics at the nanoscale. In this paper, a new AFM probe design suitable for nanomanipulation is proposed. The design includes a duo-biomorph base that allows actuation and sensing of the tip motion in the lateral and vertical directions. In addition, the tip is mounted on a piezoelectric biomorph for in situ stiffness tuning. Path tracking and disturbance compensation of the proposed smart cantilever are analyzed.
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