P6A: 6-Axis XYZ Roll Yaw Pitch Nanopositioning 5x Flexure Stage

Feature Summary

• Coincident rotation center.
• Patented Inline actuators provide ease of access and multiple unit workstations.
• Patented 5x Ratio Drive™ system affords superior resolution for far less cost.
• Small footprint allows multiple unit workstations.
• Onboard controller for actuators avoids high cost of separate motion controllers.
• Damped exterior shell design provides superior vibration and touch insensitivity.
• Lightweight aluminum construction allows system to be moved easily by other motion equipment.
• High mechanical stiffness affords rugged and stable base system.
• Patented linear dual flexure Z offers frictionless repeatable straight travel.
• Dual flexure Yaw and Pitch stages provide extreme resolution without arc error.

With positioning this easy... the possibilities are endless.

Overview

Superior Performance

Imagine a positioning system so stable and easy to adjust that aligning singlemode fiber optical fibers is about as difficult as tuning a radio! No need to let go of the micrometers while adjusting - the I6000 is extremely touch insensitive. And with the patented ergonomic inline design, all the micrometers are easily accessible on one side - just rest your hand comfortably on the table and enjoy the ease and efficiency of quickly aligning any type of fiber. No fiber alignment challenge is too difficult - even 1-2 micron core lensed fibers can easily be aligned. This is possible because of the radical departure from conventional design. 

Innovation

All other stages are direct-drive while the Luminos I6000 uses a patented Ratio Drive™ on the X & Y axes. A standard micrometer, which has about 1/3 the backlash of a differential micrometer, is further improved by the 5x Ratio Drive™ resulting in a backlash of only 100 nanometers and an incredible single-sided resolution of just 5 nanometers! The roll, yaw, and pitch axes use similar leverage techniques to transform linear motion from the actuator into extremely precise rotational movements at the output.

Conventional stacked stages have separate frames with each frame simply mounted on the output of the previous stage. This results in the stiffness at the micrometer being degraded by the lack of stiffness between the mounting reference and output of each stage below it. Hand forces on the micrometer are then easily transmitted directly to the output causing the the alignment to wander and typically results in a adjust, release, and wait cycle by the operator. The I6000 consists of only 2 frames. The Z stage is one frame while all the other micrometers are anchored to a shared fixed frame that is attached directly to the output of the Z stage. The Z stage is exceptionally stiff and therefore is not a factor. By sharing a common rigid frame, forces exerted on the micrometers by the operator during adjustment are transmitted directly to the base instead of to the output. The operator can then quickly align without letting go. It really is as easy as tuning a radio!

The I6000 is also vibration and temperature insensitive. Internal damping eliminates many of the resonance effects typically associated with flexure stages.

Automation

With this advanced design, upgrading to automation is easy and inexpensive. Our standard, low cost stepper motor option provides the I6000 with a resolution of 4 nanometers and a 1/2 millimeter of travel on the X and Y axes. An addition 2 millimeters of manual travel is still available using the coarse adjustments. The Z axis provides a larger ½ inch (12.5mm) travel on the focal axis and a resolution of 0.1 micrometers. The same gives a resolution of 0.2 arc seconds on the pitch and yaw axes and an incredible 0.1 arc seconds on the roll axis.

A kit (Part#:ACTKIT) is required for each automated positioner. It includes a software CD, a power adapter, a USB serial port adapter (in case your PC has no serial ports available) and the necessary cables. The CD includes ActiveX/COM software which provides a simple interface from LabVIEW 6i/8+/2010, Visual Basic 6, Visual C++ 6.0, or any .NET language.

Accessories

With accessories ranging from fiber array holders to contact sensors, Luminos can get you out-fitted and up-and-running quickly on your applications.

Specifications

1. 'Actuator' refers to a micrometer or stepper motor.
2. Operator dependent
3. Compatible with 1.00" grid optical tables, units mount on 2" intervals with 0.25" allowance for routing of cables etc.