Characterization of measurement effects in an MST based nano probe

\u3cp\u3eA tactile probe has been designed at the Eindhoven University of Technology to measure a translation of its tip with a 3D uncertainty of 20 nm or better. The suspension of this probe and the electrical connections are manufactured in a series of etching and deposition steps and can be considered to be a Micro Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS). It will be shown that hysteresis effects can have a dominant influence on the probe measurement uncertainty. Several sources of hysteresis within the probe system are investigated experimentally.\u3c/p\u3