PI (Physik Instrumente) L.P. – a leading manufacturer of piezo nanopositioning systems and scanners for microscopy, bio-medical and nanotechnology applications – has released a new catalog on planar piezo scanners for Atomic Force and Scanning Probe Microscopes.

The new catalog covers a variety of novel closed-loop planar piezo scanners, and controllers with advanced digital features for higher scanning rates, improved linearity and responsiveness.

Compared to conventional piezo tube scanners, the low-bow, flexure guided piezo stages are run in closed-loop mode and provide significantly lower out of plane motion (flatness) and better linearity. A special stage designed with a new lead-free piezo material allows resolution down to 20 picometers and less than 1 nanometer hysteresis.

Flexure stages with travel ranges to 1800 microns are available and many different configurations from single axis to 6-axis systems are offered.

For high stability, pre-positioning, and as a stable basis for the fast piezo scanners, self-locking ultrasonic motor stages with long travel ranges to 200 mm are also available.