Auburn, MA — PI (Physik Instrumente) L.P. has added two new multi-axis stages for super-resolution microscopy applications, providing highly accurate motion with sub-nanometer resolution over travel ranges of 200 µm in XY and XYZ.

PI nano 1×3 ™ piezo microscope stage with controller shown with slide holder & Petri dish holder.

The new PI nano1x3 ™ series XY and XYZ nanopositioning stages are designed for inverted microscopes from the four major players Leica, Nikon, Olympus and Zeiss. The low profile design of 20 mm (0.8”) facilitates the integration. The large aperture accommodates microscopy accessories such as slide holders, Petri dish holders, etc. An optional 25×25 mm positioning stage serves as a stable basis for the piezo stage.

Features & Advantages

— 24 Bit Controller with USB, Ethernet, RS-232 Interface and Analog Control
— 200 µm XY or XYZ Travel, Closed-Loop Control for Sub-Nanometer Precision
— Cost Effective due to Low-Cost Piezoresistive Sensors
— Very Low Profile for Easy Integration: 20 mm (0.8“)
— Many Options: Slide Holders & Petri dish Holders; Manual XY Stage, Motor Stage
— Longer Lifetime due to Ceramic Encapsulated Piezo Drives
— Software Support for Leading Image Acquisition Packages

 

A newly designed piezo controller is included and comes with three, 24-bit digital interfaces (USB, TCP/IP, and RS-232) and a wide-band analog interface for compatibility with all control signals. With its 24-bit DAC converters, commanded resolution is improved by two orders of magnitude over the still widely used 16-bit converters. Despite the higher performance, cost was reduced. The controller is also compatible with all major image acquisition packages and comes with a wide variety of software drivers and programming examples

For highly stable, closed-loop operation, piezoresistive sensors are applied directly to the moving structure of the stage and precisely measure the displacement of the platform. The very high sensitivity of these sensors provides optimum position stability and responsiveness as well as sub-nanometer resolution. The proprietary servo circuit significantly improves the motion linearity compared to conventional piezoresistive sensor controllers.

Physik Instrumente
www.pi-usa.us

::Design World::

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Filed Under: Linear motion • slides, Motion control • motor controls, Stages • gantries

 

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