A four-axis positioning mechanism using flexure guide and electromagnetic actuator has been developed. Additionally, a prototype of a surface topography processing and measurement system applying the developed mechanism has been produced. In a previous study, the authors constructed a three-degree-of-freedom planar positioning mechanism with nanometer resolution in the X–Y–θ-axes with a stroke of 1 mm using a flexure guide composed of 32 leaf springs and an electromagnetic actuator. To improve the motion performance in continuous-path positioning with multi-axis control, a new mechanism is constructed applying a monolithic flexure mechanism. By developing a new vertical Z-axis mechanism and integrating it with the planar positioning mechanism, a four-axis positioning mechanism with X-, Y-, θ-, and Z-axes is completed. A simple stylus probe using a thin cantilever with semiconductor strain gauges is developed and attached to the Z-stage to construct a topography processing/measurement system. Two modes of operation are defined for using this system. One is a processing mode in which the stylus is pressed against the specimen and X–Y scanning is performed while applying a sufficient contact pressure to create a scratched groove. The other is a measurement mode in which the stylus traces the surface while gentry being in contact with it to obtain topography measurements. A straight line with a length of 0.3 mm is scratched using the processing mode. The surface profile is then derived using the measurement mode. The measurement results show the actual surface shape and, thereby, demonstrate the potential of the system.

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