Many applications in nanotechnology and biotechnology call for solutions with high speed or high load capabilities. Mad City Labs offers a number of piezo based systems with these capabilities.

In general, most flexure guided nanopositioners operate at speeds in the 10's of Hz range. When contemplating your application, it is recommended that you minimize the mass load in order to optimize the speed of the nanopositioner. High speed systems generally have speeds up to 100's of Hz opening up exciting possibilities in particle tracking and high throughput processes.

Typical loads on nanopositioners are of the order of 100's of grams, however for some users, heavy lifting with nanometer precision is required. Mad City Labs offers standard products that are capable of moving loads up to 5kg.

High speed systems

There are many applications which require high speed nanopositioning; particle tracking, interferometry, AFM to name but a few. These type of applications require nanopositioning systems with high resonant frequencies and fast step responses. Only flexure stages based on direct drive mechanisms will have the necessary attributes to achieve fast response/scanning speeds.

The Nano-PDQ Series are multi-axis piezo nanopositioners designed for microscopy applications such as particle tracking (see section entitled "Particle Tracking" on the Microscopy page). The Nano-PDQ series incorporates a large center aperture ideally suiting it for microscopy applications. With the longest travel range (up to 75 microns per axis) and millisecond step response times, the Nano-PDQ series is the nanopositioner of choice for particle tracking applications. Even with such extreme performance, the Nano-PDQ series still offers sub-nanometer precision under closed loop control.

For applications requiring ultra high resolution and speed, we recommend the Nano-HSZ and Nano-HS series of piezo nanopositioners. Their compact footprint and high resonant frequencies make them ideal for extreme resolution applications. With 10 microns of motion, scanning speeds up to 300Hz and an astonishingly low noise floor of less than 2 picometers, the Nano-HS nanopositioning stages are suited to high resolution probe and force microscopy applications.

The versatile Nano-OP series is the workhorse of our high speed product line. The Nano-OP stages can be stacked together to form multi-axis systems or oriented in any position. With travel ranges extending up to 100 microns travel and step responses in the millisecond range, the Nano-OP series offers the researcher unparalleled versatility without compromising performance. As with all our nanopositioning products, our designs incorporate our proprietary PicoQTM sensors enabling picometer level resolution under closed loop control.

Heavy lifting

In many metrology and industrial applications, heavy items require the precision positioning offered by piezo devices. This continues to be a growth area, as processes continue to migrate to the nanometer scale. In these cases, new and adapted designs have been implemented to handle the larger than usual loads. An example of this type of system in our standard product line is the Nano-Mano. It has been designed to be mounted vertically or horizontally, with loads up to 5kg. This single axis stage can travel up to 200 microns with sub-nanometer precision and linearity.

The Nano-Max50 is a two axis system designed for moving heavy loads (up to 5kg). It has been designed with a generous 3.5" x 3.5" center aperture to permit light transmission or for visual inspection applications. The range of motion is 50 microns per axis with sub-nanometer precision.