Piezo Actuators & Nano Positioning

nanoFaktur specializes in piezo-technology: i. e. sensing, actuation and nano-positioning, based on solid-state elements.

Piezo-actuators

Piezo-Actuators are principally solid-state bodies, which are deforming when being charged electrically. There is no stiction or friction involved, so that the resolution of displacements is only limited by the noise of the charge-supplying electronics.

nano-positioning

Nanopositioning is optimally done by piezo-drives in combination with EDM-cut flexures for levers and guidance. These components avoid stiction and friction, so that positions can really be set with even sub-nanometer accuracy. Relative to the maximum dispacements, resolutions of 5 ppm, repeatabilities of 50 ppm and linearities of 100 ppm are possible.

drivers & controllers

“open-loop” driver- supplying the electrical power needed for a piezo-actuator
“closed-loop” or “servo-loop” driver- if stability, repeatability or a certain linearity is demanded, the piezo-actuator must be coupled to a position-sensor and a control loop be closed.
“closed-loop” controllers- for easily adapting and optimizing control parameters (PID, notch-filters) and exchangability of connected mechanics (ID-Chip). Such controllers are typically equipped with analog and digital interfaces – USB, Ethernet and RS232. Graphical user interfaces (GUI) provide examination features like oscilloscope (view step-responses, rest-noise, etc.) and FFT (see Bode-Plots of amplitudes and phases over frequency).