Compact, Digital Motion Controller for Nanopositioning

The single channel E-709 piezo controller from Physik Instrumente (PI) has been already introduced for piezo-based positioners and scanners which use strain sensors. Since the majority of the nanopositioning systems from PI employ such sensors, the E-709 allows significantly lower system costs in comparison to the digital controllers offered up until now.
The biggest differences between the digital and analog controllers are that you can influence all parameters directly through calculation algorithms using software commands. The controller works with linearization algorithms which improve the positioning accuracy of the piezo system to below 0.01%.
When supplying commands using the digital SPI, USP and RS-232 interfaces, the digital technology allows the setting of motion and control parameters and the programming of digital I/Os or the analog exit via software.
The amplifier of the E-709 provides 5 W output power (10 W for < 5ms) and is designed so that classic nanopositioning systems with travel ranges of up to 200 µm with an average scanning frequency of up to 100 Hz can be operated. Systems that fulfill these requirements are, for example, the P-620 PIHera linear stage and the P-721 and P-725 objective scanners of the PIFOC® series.

Capacitive Sensors Improve the Accuracy

Capacitive sensors offer an improved resolution, linearity, and stability, compared to the strain sensors supported by the E-709 until now. They measure the position of the moving platform without contact and directly, with this it is possible for parallel kinematic systems to measure in a number of degrees of freedom at the same time. On the other hand, they are not particularly more expensive than the indirectly measuring strain sensors. This is why, PI equips many of its positioning systems with capacitive sensors. In how far the possibilities of capacitive sensor in the system can be exploited, depends largely on the controller.

Over the last four decades, the Karlsruhe-based company has become the leading manufacturer of nanopositioning technology. PI is a private company with healthy growth, more than 500 employees world-wide and a flexible, vertically integrated organization which enables PI to fulfill almost any request in the field of innovative precision positioning technology. All key technologies are developed in-house. This means that every phase from the design right down to the shipment can be controlled: The precision mechanics and the electronics as well as the position sensors and the piezo ceramics or actuators. The latter are produced by the subsidiary company PI Ceramic. PI has its own sales and service offices in all important markets. Moreover, the company maintains testing devices for nanometrology on three continents. PI Shanghai and USA have additional development and manufacturing resources which allow rapid local reaction to custom-engineered specifications.

Physik Instrumente (PI) GmbH & Co. KG
Auf der Roemerstrasse 1
76228 Karlsruhe
Germany
www.pi.ws
info@pi.ws
Phone + 49 721 48 46 - 0

This release was published on openPR.