Small Size and High Resolution: New Miniature Stage is Only 24 mm Wide at a Resolution of 2 Nanometers

Physik Instrumente (PI) has introduced the new LPS-24 series. At only 24 × 33 × 20 mm³, these new miniature positioning stages provide a travel range of 15 mm with nanometer-precision resolution.

The LPS-24 stages fulfil important requirements for the positioning of optical or mechanical components or for the adjustment and manipulation of samples in application environments with a confined space.

For the LPS-24 series, PI uses NEXACT® piezo stepping drives. These drives combine the high-precision resolution and stiffness, typical for piezo actuators, with long travel ranges. For position measurement, a linear encoder with 150 nm resolution is integrated into the small-sized stages. With the PIOne linear encoder, a 2 nanometer resolution is attained when combined with a stage length of 63 mm instead of 33 mm.

Piezo stepping drives for precision, reliability and long lifetime

The piezo stepping drives offer important advantages for the high-precision positioning of the miniature stages: They perform dis-placements at an adjustable and constant velocity. Their drive prin-ciple is based on a defined actuator motion and exclusively on stiction during the stepping motion of the piezo actuators. This results in a substantial increase in the lifetime and reliability of the drives.

Easy system integration and extensive software

The controller E-861 allows simple and precise operation of the miniature positioning stage. It supports the different types of motion of the piezo stepping drive and is tuned to the requirements of the mechanical system. As a result of the controller's networking capability, up to 16 controllers can be driven simultaneously via one computer interface.

All parameters can be set and checked via software. For start-up and system configuration, the program PIMikroMove is included in the scope of delivery. Connection to custom software is possible via LabView drivers and DLLs.

PI in Brief

Well-known for the high quality of its products, PI (Physik Instru-mente) has been one of the leading players in the global market for precision positioning technology for many years. PI has been developing and manufacturing standard and OEM products with piezo or motor drives for 40 years now. With four German factories and ten subsidiaries and sales offices abroad, the PI Group is represented internationally.