PI Extends Travel Range of PIHera Piezo Flexure Nanopositioning Tables

Posted by EDA Geek News Staff in Industrial on Wednesday, February 27, 2008

PI (Physik Instrumente) L.P., a leading manufacturer of nanopositioning and precision motion-control equipment for nano-biotechnology, life science and photonics applications, has extended its PIHera® family of compact X, XY and Z flexure-guided piezo nanopositioning tables, now offering record travel ranges to 1.8 mm.

Nanometer Precision for QA Applications, 50 to 1800 µm Travel Ranges
These precision closed-loop flexure-guided stages can be used for scanning probe applications (surface metrology) and static positioning. Most PIHera® stages provide sub-nanometer resolution and even the 1.8 mm versions achieve 3 nm resolution in closed-loop operation. The compact size is achieved with a new, friction-free and extremely stiff flexure system, which also provides fast response and excellent guiding accuracy Trajectory precision is in the low-nanometer range. High acceleration forces are provided by patented, long-life multilayer piezoelectric linear actuators. The ability to control motion with millisecond responsiveness and nanometer precision over long travel ranges makes PIHera® stages ideal for measuring and QA applications.

Physik Instrumente PIHera Piezo Flexure Nanopositioning TablesCapacitive Feedback Offers Greater Motion Linearity
The stages are equipped with non-contact capacitive-sensors and reduce motion linearity errors to 0.02% with effective resolution in the sub-nanometer range. PI capacitive sensors are absolute-measuring, direct-metrology devices that boast very high bandwidth and exhibit no periodic errors.

Typical Applications:
Scanning Probe Microscopy, Biotechnology, Surface Metrology, Quality Assurance, Nanometrology, Interferometry, Nanopositioning, Semiconductor Technology

Features & Advantages

  • No Wear & Tear: Flexures, Actuators and Sensors are Maintenance-Free
  • Longer Lifetime with Patented, Ceramic-Encapsulated Piezo Actuators
  • Frictionless, Maintenance-Free, Precision Flexure Guiding System
  • 50 to 1800 µm Travel Ranges
  • X, XY, Z and XYZ Versions Available
  • Closed-Loop Digital & Analog Control for up to 99.98 % Position Accuracy
  • Vacuum-Compatible Versions
  • Stiff and Compact Design for Millisecond Responsiveness
  • Resolution <1 nm
  • Capacitive Direct-Metrology Sensors for Faster Servo Response

Flexible Controllers and Software: High Speed, Digital and Analog Control
A variety of ultra-low-noise controllers with both digital and analog input provide fast communications and come with a wide selection of software tools.

About PI
PI is a leading manufacturer of precision motion-control equipment for photonics, bio-nanotechnology & semiconductor applications. PI has been developing and manufacturing standard & custom precision products with piezoceramic and electromagnetic drives for 35+ years. The company has been ISO 9001 certified since 1994 and provides innovative, high-quality solutions for OEM and research. PI is present worldwide with eight subsidiaries and total staff of 450+.

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