Dr Yuen Kuan ( Yuen ) Yong

Biography

Yuen Kuan Yong received her Bachelor of Engineering Degree (1st Class Honours) in Mechatronic Engineering from the University of Adelaide, Australia in 2001 and her Ph.D degree (Mechanical Engineering) from the same university in 2007. She is currently a research academic at the Centre for Complex Dynamic Systems and Control (CDSC), The University of Newcastle, Australia.

Dr. Yong was a recipient of the best conference paper finalist award of the 2008 IEEE/ASME International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics (AIM). Dr. Yong has been the Technical Program Committee Member of AIM since 2009. She was recently invited to be the Technical Program Committee Member of the International Conference on Manipulation, Measurement and Manufacturing on the Nanoscale (3M-Nano). As an Early Career Research, Dr. Yong has more than 20 papers published at high-quality journals and conference proceedings.

Qualifications

• PhD, University of Adelaide, 2007
• Bachelor of Engineering (Honours), University of Adelaide, 2001

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Research

Research keywords

• Atomic force microscopy
• Nanopositioning
• Nanotechnology
• Piezoelectric actuators and sensors
• Smart structures

Research expertise

My field of research includes:

DESIGN AND CONTROL OF NANOPOSITIONING DEVICES

The design of the flexure-based nanopositioning stage is based on the concept of flexible mechanisms (flexures) where motions are generated through the elastic deformation of the structures. There are no moving and sliding joints; therefore, the problems of wear, backlash, friction and the need for lubrication are eliminated. This provides repeatable and smooth motions to fulfill the requirement of accurate nanoscale positioning. Piezoelectric stack actuators are commonly used to drive flexure-based stages due to their capability of achieving repeatable nanometer resolution over a very high bandwidth. They can also generate large forces and high accelerations which are desirable for the design of a high bandwidth nanopositioner.

This work is aimed to improve the dynamic performance of a nanopositioner for high-speed scanning applications of an AFM (Atomic Force Microscope). The project objectives are:

(a) to design a nanopositioning scanner which has relatively high resonance frequency, large scan range & low cross-coupling between the X-Y axis, and

(b) to implement a well-performing control scheme that provides substantial damping and accurate tracking performances.

PIEZOELECTRIC TUBE SCANNER

Piezoelectric tubes with quartered external electrodes have been widely used as scanners in modern scanning probe microscopes. Various feedback control techniques have been developed to improve bandwidth and accuracy of these scanners. Non-contact displacement sensors, e.g. capacitive and inductive sensors, have been used for positioning feedback.

This project has several goals:

(a) to investigate different electrode sizes & patterns for sensing and actuation,

(b) to design a piezoelectric tube with improved dynamic performances, and

(c) to implement a control scheme that provides substantial damping & accurate high-speed scanning performances.

Collaboration

Dr. Yong has established both national and international collaboration partners, including researchers from:

Indian Institute of Technology (Madras)

The University of Aberdeen (Scotland)

The University of New South Wales at ADFA (Australia)

The University of Adelaide (Australia)

Languages

• Cantonese
• Malay
• Mandarin

Fields of Research

Code	Description	Percentage
090602	Control Systems, Robotics And Automation	55
091304	Dynamics, Vibration And Vibration Control	30
029999	Physical Sciences Not Elsewhere Classified	15

Centres and Groups

Centre

• PRC - Centre for Complex and Dynamic Systems and Control

Awards

Other

2008	Best Conference Paper Finalist IEEE/ASME International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics (Australia)

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Administrative

Administrative expertise

I am the Lab Manager of Laboratory for Dynamics and Control of Nanosystems. My main responsibilities include:

• Conducted induction courses for new laboratory users to ensure lab safety and proper use of equipment.

• Responsible for equipment ordering and purchasing.

• Responsible for managing equipment maintenance schedules and the replacement of parts when necessary.

• Conducted software updates for equipment and computers.

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Teaching

Teaching keywords

• Finite element analysis
• Mechanical design and drawings
• Mechatronics
• Programmable logic control
• Robotics

Teaching expertise

From 2002 to 2006, I involved in teaching and tutoring a wide range of subjects, including Design Graphics (CAD), ANSYS (FEA), Matlab, Robotics, Programmable Logic Control (PLC) and Automatic Control, at The University of Adelaide, Australia.

In 2010, I was a guest lecturer of Advanced Computer Aided Engineering and Manufacturing at the School of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Newcastle.