Product category:
Machine Building Components
News Release from: PI (Physik Instrumente) | Subject: Nanopositioning stages and digital piezo control
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 07 April 2004
Nanopositioning stages boost precision
100x
A new generation of nanopositioning/nanoscanning stages and digital piezo controllers aim for applications such as surface metrology, scanning microscopy, CD measurement and surface profiling.
A new generation of nanopositioning/nanoscanning stages and digital piezo controllers aim for applications such as surface metrology, scanning microscopy, CD measurement, surface profiling, material science, nanotechnology and cell tracking The new systems are available in two- to six-axis versions and provide subnanometre precision and scanning speeds of several hundreds of hertz
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 26 Nov 2002 at 8.00am (UK)
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Stages go a long way accurately
Polytec describes Hera as the world's longest-travel precision-guided PZT nanopositioning stages for advanced applications such as mask alignment, inspection and metrology.
They address the ever-growing linearity and speed requirements of today's nanotechnology applications.
Conventional piezo nanopositioning stages use indirect position sensors (indirect metrology) and PID (proportional integral derivative) motion controllers.
These exhibit phase lag and tracking errors.
For example the tracking errors can be as large as 20% even at relatively low scanning rates of only 5Hz.
This limits both the speed and precision of data acquisition, eg in surface metrology and scanning microscopy applications.
PI nanopositioning stages rely on parallel direct metrology position feedback for zero phase lag between motion and the sensor output.
The new controllers use an advanced digital linearisation model that reduces nonlinearity and phase lag to indiscernible levels, even with high-frequency dynamic actuation under load.
The effect is an improvement in linearity and usable bandwidth of two orders of magnitude resulting in significantly increased throughput.
Features and advantages include: digital linearisation and tracking error suppression algorithms for two orders of magnitude higher scanning bandwidth and improved linearity; nanopositioning stages with direct metrology, capacitive feedback for subnanometre resolution and stability; an autocalibration function that allows easy exchange of a controller/stage system; and digital co-ordinate transformation for complex multi-axis nanopositioning systems. Request a free brochure from PI (Physik Instrumente) ...
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