Fabrication and characterizations of a monolithic PZT microstage

This paper reports on the fabrication and characterizations of a monolithic Pb(ZrTi)O₃ (PZT) microstage with multi-degrees of freedom for high-precision positioning. The entire device is fabricated in a symmetrical arrangement from a PZT plate with a size of 15 × 15 × 0.8 mm ³. Four actuation units with displacement amplification mechanisms are integrated in the structure. All the actuators can be driven individually which result in movements of a stage in different directions. The main fabrication steps include dicing, electroplating, lithography and laser machining. The performances of the displacement and the resonant frequencies of the microstage are simulated using a finite element method (FEM) with different dimensions. A prototype has been fabricated and evaluated. Comparisons between FEM simulation and experimental results are carried out.