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Piezoelectric actuator suits atomic microscopy

A Noliac product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Mar 26, 2009

Applying 60V provides 0.01mm of motion with a 5mm x 5mm x 10mm multilayer piezoelectric actuator, making it ideal for applications such as atomic force microscopy.

The atomic force microscope (AFM) is a high-resolution scanning probe microscope.

The AFM gathers information by 'feeling' the surface with a mechanical probe.

The motion of the probe over the surface is generated by piezoelectric ceramics that move the probe and force sensor across the surface in the X and Y directions.

An atomic force microscope is optimised for measuring surface features that are extremely small, thus it is important to be familiar with the dimensions of the features being measured.

The microscope is capable of imaging features as small as a carbon atom and as large as the cross section of a human hair.

A carbon atom is approximately 0.25nm in diameter and the diameter of a human hair is approximately 80 microns.

The AFM can image almost any type of surface, including polymers, ceramics, composites, glass and biological samples.

A typical multilayer piezoceramic component for AFM is the SCMAP02, which provides motion up to 63.8um with 60V.

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