In the scope of my PhD, I would like to build an automated microscopy set-up that should take images of a sample of 2cm by 2cm. This should be done by taking pictures of 500 micrometers by 500 micrometers.
Therefore I need to design an XY-stage moving my sample over the optical setup. I would use a Raspberry Pi to steer all the hardware.
Could you direct me to material about how to best make an XY-stage ? My questions are about what types of motors to use (stepper?), how many, how to create a good sliding mechanism to avoid jerky steps, etc.
Simple links to basic engineering of such set-ups would be more than enough for me to start, as I am a complete layman in this field.
EDIT: I have found this blogpost. It does what I require, if I get small enough angle step stepper motors.
EDIT2: I need a maximal range of motion of 10 cm in both directions. The overall size should not exceed 30x30 cm^2. Step sizes should not exceed 10 microns. I do not care about moving speed. Based upon the design in the link, buying a stepper motor with a 100:1 gear box could allow my very small radial steps (<0.05 deg) which would result in about 5 micron steps, assuming a rotor radius of about 1cm. As far as price goes, it should not exceed commercially available options which start at about 5k USD