One Controller for One MotionSystem Absolute Accuracy The servo-control loops forboth the motorized and thepiezo drive use the same posi-
tion sensor. The result is a
motion system with hundreds
of millimeters travel but with
the precision of a piezo-based
nanopositioner. The resolution
and the positioning accuracy
depend on the choice of the
feedback sensor. PI hybrid sys-
tems currently use optical lin-
ear encoders with a resolution
of 2 nm. Depending on the
stage, a minimum incremental
motion or a repeatability of 4 nm can be achieved over theentire travel range. Integrated Servo-ControlSpans Both Drives The basic idea of combiningclassical motorized microposi-
tioners with high-resolution
piezo actuators is not new. For
example, PI offers a fiber-scan-
ning and coupling system com-
prising a 6-DoF microposition-
er (F-206) mounted beside a
multi-axis piezo system (P-611
Nanocube >
Hybrid Nanopositioning Technology by PI
Long Travel Ranges with Nanometer Precision
In PI hybrid systems, the motor-
leadscrew and piezo actuator
are fully integrated to form one
motion system. The motor andpiezo act together at all times.The result is far more than a
coarse-adjust/fine-adjust sys-
tem: effects like startup
stick/slip and backlash can be
completely compensated and a
motion profile with high con-
stancy of velocity can be fol-
lowed. Because of the high
piezo stiffness, setting to a few
nanometers only takes a few
milliseconds, significantly fas-
ter than with conventional,
higher-inertia,
linear motor-
driven stages. Furthermore
minimal increments in the
range of the sensor resolution
can be reliably executed.
To allow high velocities beyond100 mm/sec and nanometer-range incremental resolution,
position information must be
transmitted and processed very
rapidly and a complex control
algorithm is required. PI’s C-702
is a controller providing PWM
signal generators, piezo ampli-
fiers and control algorithms
specially tailored for hybrid
systems. >
Working principle of the M-511.HD. The platform is decoupled from the motor drive train by the piezo actuator and the flexure guides.This also reduces the inertia of the piezo-drivenplatform and allows for rapid response. Active Compensation of Stick/Slip During Startup and Settling Active Backlash Compensation Excellent Velocity Control Millisecond Settling to Nanometer Accuracy Reliable Execution of Minimal Increments High Drive and Holding Forces with Minimal Power The direct integration of piezoactuators in micropositioning
stages allows combining travel
ranges of hundreds of millime-
ters with resolutions in the
nanometer range. Servo-con-
trol of the system employs a
single high-resolution position
feedback sensor (parallel
metrology) which means that
the high resolution can be used
over the entire travel range.
This makes hybrid systems
ideal for applications where the
position of an incident needs to
be read and refound precisely,
or where an externally speci-
fied target position needs to be
hit within few a nanometers,
such as in surface inspection or
metrology. The challenge of
implementing hybrid technolo-
gy is not only the mechanical
design of the
positioning stage,
but also the use of high-resolu-
tion sensors over large travel
ranges, the processing of the
resulting high-frequency sig-
nals and the design of special
control algorithms to take full
advantage of the hybrid
design. >
® ) with high positionresolution. The servo-control algorithms
with stacked systems like these
generally operate independ-
ently, with the piezo system
only becoming activated after
the motorized positioner has
come to a complete stop. Be-
cause separate position sen-
sors are used the absolute
accuracy (not the resolution) is
limited by the precision of the
motorized long-range position-
er.
The new PI hybrid systems use
a single high-resolution en-
coder and a controller that can
actuate both drives at the same
time. Thus every move benefits
from the specific advantages of
both the motorized actuatorand the piezo actuator from
startup to settling.On the mechanical side, this is
accomplished by decoupling
the motion platform of the
hybrid positioning stage from
the micropositioner’s motor-
ballscrew-drive by frictionless
flexures and stiff, fast response
piezo actuators. The controller continuously
compares the actual platform
position (by reading the inte-
grated
linear encoder) with a
calculated, smooth trajectory.The piezo actuators actively
compensate out the irregulari-
ties in the motion of the plat-
form caused by the motorized
drive train. >
PI hybrid servo-controller output during a positioning command. The controller
reads the system position off a high-resolution encoder and actuates both the
motor and piezoelectric actuator at the same time giving a system with the
advantages of both drives. © PI 1998-2006.Subject to change without notice. This data sheet is superseded by any newrelease. The newest release is available for download at www.pi.ws. R1 06/05/29.0 7a-2 7-1 to 7-106 see the Hardbound Catalog