High Precision Microscope Stages, Tools for Imaging / Bio-Nanotech, Life Sciences

For long travel positioning, highly stable ultrasonic-ceramic motor driven stages are available. These self-clamping positioners provide significantly better long-term stability compared to conventional motor drives.

Check out PI's microscopy blog articles and download the Products for Microscopy and Electron Microscopy catalogs for more information.

Accessories for Microscopy Stages

Applications for Medical Engineering

PInano® XY and XYZ piezo nanopositioning stages are designed to mount on manual or motorized microscope stages. They can accommodate slides or other inserts.

Digital Control: The PInano® packages include a digital servo controller (not to be confused with an analog servo with USB interface) which provides higher performance (linearity, dynamics) than conventional analog piezo controllers and allows parameter changes to adapt to different load situations to be made on the fly. In addition to USB and Ethernet interfaces, an analog 0-10V interface is also installed – convenient to use with many existing instruments providing analog outputs.

Piezo Resistive Sensors (PRS): Based on high resolution semiconductor strain gauges, often used in AFM’s, they provide a very high signal to noise ratio and low noise.

Capacitive Sensors: Non-contact, direct-metrology sensors that measure the gap of a moving platform against the static frame and provide the highest linearity and very low noise. 

Microscopy Blog

Single molecule tracking requires very fast motion. Direct-drive piezo stage designs achieve millisecond responsiveness. High powered amplifiers with plenty of short term peak current provide the required bandwidth. The faster the piezo stage, the more important is a highly stable base. Self-clamping ultrasonic motor long-travel positioning stages (such as the PIline U-780) or the M-545 manual stage are essential to take full advantage of the extreme accelerations direct drive piezo scanning stages are capable of. 

The PInano®  P-736 piezo insert Z-scanner is designed as an insert for microscope stages with a 160x110mm standard K-frame opening. It has an aperture of 93x65mm for microscope slides, Petri dishes, etc. A larger version of the P-736 stage with a full size K-frame opening, for well plates etc., is also available.

Digital Control: The PInano® packages include a digital servo controller (not to be confused with an analog servo with USB interface) which provides higher performance (linearity, dynamics) than conventional analog piezo controllers and allows changes to be made on the fly.  In addition to USB and Ethernet interfaces, an analog 0-10V interface is also installed – convenient to use with many existing instruments providing analog outputs.

Piezo Resistive Sensors (PRS): Based on high resolution semiconductor strain gauges, often used in AFM’s, they provide a very high signal to noise ratio and low noise.

Capacitive Sensors: Non-contact, direct-metrology sensors that measure the gap of a moving platform against the static frame and provide the highest linearity and very low noise. 

Microscopy Blog

Stick-slip piezo motors (inertia motors) permit the design of the smallest class of precision motorized positioners. The direct drive motors are only a few millimeters in size, there are no gears, or other conventional power transmission components involved that add size, complexity, play or backlash.

Piezo inertia motors make use of the difference in the static and dynamic friction coefficients between two surfaces; their controllers provide a quasi sawtooth output voltage, with a slow expansion phase and a fast contraction phase. In the expansion phase, the piezo actuator moves the slider; in the contraction phase, its inertia prevents the slider from following the quick motion of the actuator, and it remains at its position.

Overview Miniature Piezo Motor Stages

Overview Miniature Piezo Motor Actuators