positioning-equipment-whitepapers

  1. Motion Control And Precision Positioning In Vacuum Environments 9/29/2016

    Vacuum applications, and technologies that can only be applied in vacuum or cryogenic environments have grown in importance within scientific research and industry applications. Optics technologies use vacuum environments to manufacture components such as fiber laser optics and sensitive detectors. Other applications that use vacuum environments include small epitaxy processes, semiconductor manufacturing, and X-ray or UV applications.

  2. PI Mini Imaging Drives For Endoscopy 7/13/2016

    With the aim to cause patients as little discomfort as possible, minimal invasive surgery (MIS) techniques use endoscopes integrated with a miniature drive to achieve variable focusing so that objects can be in sharp focus at all times. These endoscopes are used in larynx diagnostics or laparoscopy where optics and special instruments can then be introduced to the abdominal cavity through working trocars. Patients will then experience less post-operative pain and are able to be discharged earlier from the hospital. This application note describes the focus and zoom control functions within these miniature drives, and provides information on available PI piezo miniature drives for endoscopy applications.  

  3. Optimizing Performance Of Galvanometer-Based Laser Beam Steering 4/6/2016

    Closed-loop galvanometers, or galvos, offer a combination of speed, accuracy, low cost, and flexibility. To achieve optimal performance in any galvo application, one must understand the parameters for positioning speed and accuracy, plus proper design and selection of the galvo, mirror, and servo driver. 

  4. From Patterned Wafer To Packaged Device: Optical Alignment For Packaging and Test In SiP 2/26/2015

    As photonic and electronic devices began to converge, bandwidth, efficiency, and functionality improved significantly. On the flip side, testing and packaging these silicon photonic (SiP) devices has proven to be a challenge. Testing conventional microcircuits can be done through physical contact, conventional positioning control devices, and visual inspection. On the other hand, photonic devices require non-contact and nanoscale alignment between the hybrid device under test and a probe fiber or other element. And we haven’t even begun discussing the complications involved in packaging such devices.

  5. Achieving Double-Sided Fiber Optic Alignment with the H-206 Hexapod Positioning System 11/8/2013

    PI’s H-206 positioning system uses fast alignment algorithms, six-axis positioning, virtualized rotation and fast optical or analog metrology to achieve double-sided fiber optic alignment.

  6. Improved Automated Manufacturing of Opto-Mechanical Components 10/22/2013

    Hexapod systems can be used to provide precision movement and positioning in the manufacturing process of opto-mechanical components. Often times though, this type of manufacturing process calls for precise motion in all six degrees of freedom.

  7. Resolution Enhancement of Imaging Chips with Piezo Technology 3/15/2013

    Cameras and scanning systems used in applications involving fluorescence microscopy, white-light interferometry OCT, or aerial photography need to be high resolution. When resolution needs to be increased, there are only a few options

  8. Piezo Rotary Motor for Optical Instrumentation Tech Note 10/5/2011
    A great many factors come into play when selecting a drive system for a portable precision instrument: The installation space available, the velocities, the accelerations and positional accuracy required, the energy consumption and the reliability of the motorization selected.
  9. White Paper: Setting PID Parameters And Notch Filters Using Black’s Diagram 10/5/2011
    In the 1800's, automation began with the use of crude motors with belt and pulley drive trains.
  10. Not All Optical Mounts Are Created Equal 6/16/2010
    With the wide variety of optical mounts available today, it’s more important than ever for researchers and engineers to understand how subtle differences in mount design impact performance and cost. There are increasingly more optical mounts provided to fit specific requirements of different applications as manufacturing and material technology advances. Users have many options and configurations from which to choose when determining the correct mount for the job. When selecting an optical mount, the important parameters to consider are adjustment range, resolution, repeatability, orthogonality of motion, stability, compactness, and thermal drift.