PI is the world’s leading provider of nanopositioning products and systems. All key technologies are developed, manufactured and qualified in-house by PI: Piezo components, actuators and motors, magnetic drives, guiding systems, nanometrology sensors, electronic amplifiers, digital controllers and software.
PI positioning systems are employed where technology is pushed forward in industry and research. This is done, for example, in semiconductor manufacturing, in medical engineering, in biotechnology, in plant engineering, in surface metrology, or in astronomy.
PI combines its long-term experience in micro and nanopositioning technology with in-depth knowledge in the fields of mechanics, electronics, sensor engineering and software. Thus, PI is able to offer its customers the most advanced drive technologies and system solutions.
In almost all industrial manufacturing processes, the correct positioning of individual components and their precise alignment to each other are essential for proper product function and manufacturing efficiency. This is even more important as products and their components get smaller and smaller. This ongoing process of miniaturization makes alignment more challenging and more expensive. With 50 years of experience in nanopositioning, hundreds of patents, and expert staff, PI has helped countless customers successfully master the challenge of nanopositioning and gain a decisive competitive advantage.
Throughput, precision, availability, reliability, and yield – the variety of technologies, the long-term experience in precision positioning, and a modular approach make it possible for PI to react in an application-specific manner to requirements in order to support system integrators and OEMs worldwide in reaching the requested process and machine performances. Read more
The demand for photonic integrated circuits (PICs) is growing, everyone is talking about satellite-based internet, and AI is driving the need for increasingly high-performance computer chips. PI offers solutions to help scale industrial production and advance these applications. In the video, Scott Jordan explains some of PI’s latest advancements in motion control, alignment algorithms, and nanopositioning hardware designed to drive these industries forward. Watch the video
The X-417 multi-axis system is specifically designed to meet the rigorous demands of industries requiring high dynamics and precision, making it ideal for applications such as testing, metrology, precision automation, and laser processing. Its modular design allows for complete configurability, enabling it to be tailored to a wide range of operational requirements. Watch the video
Testing, assembling, and packaging of photonic devices requires highly efficient systems. Alignment, especially array alignment, is one of the most significant cost factors, as it is essential at several stages of the production process to ensure throughput and manage production costs. For maximum performance, the optimal combination of accuracy, speed, and intelligent automation is needed. Positioning accuracies with submicron or nanometer precision, and in six degrees of freedom, are required. Read more
PI’s precision hexapods are based on more than three decades of design and manufacturing experience. Our broad range of drive technologies, from piezoelectric to electromagnetic, enables us to offer hexapods for a wide range of specification requirements and installation situations, when combined with the appropriate sensors, software, and motion control. Read more
The economical mass production of silicon photonics (SiPh) components requires high-speed alignment with nanometer accuracies: With thousands of photonic structures on one wafer, the faster the alignment of the signal-carrying optical fibers to the photonic circuits, the faster and thus more economical testing becomes. Probing solutions must combine high speed and precision with adequate sensor technologies to avoid direct contact between probe and wafer, thereby preventing particle formation and damage to chip structures. Read more
The photonics industry is clearly trending towards rapidly increasing production scale, with three orders of magnitude expected in the near future. Whether the challenge is economical, scalable manufacturing of multichannel silicon photonic (SiPh) devices, assembling increasingly sophisticated miniature cameras, or transmitting high-speed data across thousands of miles of space: Alignment is crucial for effectiveness, performance, and practicality. As photonics increasingly includes end-consumer and point-of-care applications, wearables will become a commodity. Read more
Testing, assembling, and packaging of photonic devices requires highly efficient systems. Alignment, especially array alignment, is one of the most significant cost factors, as it is essential at several stages of the production process to ensure throughput and manage production costs. For maximum performance, the optimal combination of accuracy, speed, and intelligent automation is needed. Positioning accuracies with submicron or nanometer precision, and in six degrees of freedom, are required. Read more
For every type of wafer, key prerequisites include uniform substrate and device layer thickness, along with a minimal defect density. Moreover, the wafer’s electrical resistivity must closely align with specified standards. Certain films necessitate characterization, especially for assessing thickness, electrical resistivity, and surface quality and roughness. Reliable and fast measurement technologies help to prevent yield losses by detecting defects in an early stage, and thereby reducing costs. PI is currently developing motion solutions for wafer positioning to facilitate the measurement of crucial wafer attributes. Read more
Dynamic positioning, scanning, and alignment with precision down to the subnanometer realm is critical to success in wafer inspection and metrology. As feature sizes in semiconductor manufacturing shrink and design complexity increases, the demands on the motion systems continue to grow. Metrology processes are therefore highly dependent on precise wafer positioning solutions to enable the fast and reliable analysis of defects or particles at each step of the manufacturing process to prevent yield loss. PI offers proven wafer scanning subsystems that take advantage of piezo technology to meet demanding process requirements where conventional electromagnetic solutions reach their limits. Read more
Innovative ideas around nanopositioning and precision motion control for wafer shaping, wafer stages with piezo performance, air bearings and granite-based multi-axis motion systems. Watch the video
In medicine, finest endoscopes are not only being used for diagnostics but also more and more frequently for the therapy of illnesses. Thanks to their compact and flexible design of just a few millimeters diameter, they ensure even gentler minimally invasive procedures. Contrary to the limitations of the image quality of common endoscopes, the new innovative design of scanning fiber endoscopes (SFEs) offers new possibilities: SFEs generate laser-based, fully colored images with higher resolution and an enlarged visual field, e.g., in optical coherence tomography. The fast motion and control of piezo tubes leads to a scanning motion of the optical fiber in the scanning fiber endoscope. Thanks to this, SFEs deliver more image information, new findings in biomedical research, and improved minimally invasive procedures for the clinical routines. Read more
Traditionally, key manufacturing technologies for semiconductor production have come from Europe. To ensure that this does not change in the future, the European Union is funding the 14ACMOS project to develop the next technology node. It is expected that this node will enable the production of chip structures with dimensions down to 14 angstroms. Physik Instrumente (PI) participates in the research program by developing high-precision positioning systems with accuracies of less than one millionth of a millimeter. Read more
Applications for active shims can be found everywhere, where the gap between two assemblies is critical and needs to be readjusted as a result of drifting or changes in tolerance. Particularly when the ambient conditions and the accessibility make manual intervention complicated, PIRest actuators are a feasible option. Read more
A few weeks ago, the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission was officially approved, and PI’s hexapod will help to build the laser interferometer. LISA, a project of European Space Agency – ESA, is way more sensitive than previous ground-based detectors and aims to detect gravitational waves from extremely massive black holes. Read more [Picture source: PI (Physik Instrumente) Group on linkedin.com]
Motion control systems, which typically control the position of stage or actuator, are sometimes tasked to provide both position and force control. These systems work in a dual mode, where the motion controller either controls the position or the force applied. In force-control mode, the motion stage must apply a controlled force while the position can vary. In position control mode, the stage position is controlled via closed-loop servo, using a position encoder as feedback. When coupled with a direct-drive linear motor, the lack of friction in an air bearing means that the driving system (motor, controller, drive) can transduce electrical current directly into applied force. The absence of friction in the bearing means that no parasitic forces are present, and force can be directly controlled via the closed-loop servo, without the need for an external force sensor. Read more
New Piezo-Based Approach Enables Breakthrough Speed and Accuracy. Laser drilling precision and throughput are limited by a number of factors including optical distortion, tracking accuracy, acceleration limits of motion stages, and focus control performance. This new motion control technology is designed to enhance the precision and accuracy of laser drilling for a wide range of target applications, including aerospace, medical, electronics, and automotive. With our state-of-the-art motion control systems, we offer the foundation to help you design your next generation laser drilling system. Watch the video
Hexapod positioning systems (Stewart Platforms) are versatile tools for multi-axis positioning and motion simulation applications. Hexapods provide 6 degrees of freedom and a user programmable center of rotation (pivot point) that allows extraordinary flexibility in alignment applications. Read more
At PI we have been working hard behind the scenes to expand our hexapod production and shorten lead times, for our customers. This blog article highlights some of the growing applications of miniature six-axis positioning systems. Read more [Picture source: PI BeNeLux B.V. on linkedin.com]
Tip/tilt mirrors for beam stabilization are essential subsystems for free-space optical communication networks. With the rapid development of LEO (Low Earth Orbit) satellite networks, the need for such subsystems is growing rapidly. Tip/tilt mirrors from Physik Instrumente (PI) have already proven their space qualification on several occasions. Now, they are proving their value in various satellite networks. Both piezo-based and electromagnetic series systems and operator-specific system solutions from PI meet the necessary technical and economic specifications. Read more
The basis of the fiber alignment system is a very stiff setup with an H-811 hexapod and an P-616 NanoCube® nanopositioner. The parallel-kinematic design for motion in degrees of freedom ensures high system stiffness. The motorreed drives make longer travel ranges possible and at the same time, the NanoCube® nanopositioner ensures fast scanning motion and dynamic compensation of drift effects. Flexure guides and all-ceramic insulated PICMA® actuators guarantee a long lifetime. Because all drives are equipped with position sensors, it is possible for example, to reliably prevent collisions with expensive silicon wafers. Read more
Physik Instrumente (PI) now also offers sales and technical support for ACS Motion Control’s high-performance motion controller and servo drive products in the EMEA and APAC regions. This new agreement strengthens the proximity Andy availability of the brand in addition to its strong presence in the USA, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, as well as China and Korea. Now, ACS products are accessible to motion control system designers in high-tech equipment fields such as semiconductor and display manufacturing, laser material processing, additive manufacturing, and life science applications. This enables them to increase equipment throughput and accuracy thanks to the extensive PI Group technical sales and support network. Read more
Based on a comprehensive analysis of the production processes for hexapods, Physik Instrumente (PI) has adapted its production capacities to the sharp increase in demand and is prepared to expand them even further if required. The focus of the restructuring was the optimization and relocation of the entire “Hexapods” production area to newly designed premises, as well as the expansion of the workforce. The measures are an integral part of the company-wide investment program with a volume of more than sixty-three million euros. The aim is to capitalize on PI’s above-average growth opportunities in the markets Industrial Automation, Semiconductor and Photonics, as well as Microscopy and Life Sciences. Read more
Physik Instrumente (PI) is intensifying its cooperation with leading universities and research institutions. To do so, the specialist for piezo technology, nano positioning, and performance automation is transferring areas from research and development to so-called “innovation hubs” in close proximity to technical universities and colleges. Read more
From cryogenic applications to quantum computing and even active vibration control: the future of Piezo is bright and full of opportunities! Watch the video
The combination of magnetic guidings and dedicated high precision drive and sensor technologies provides high dynamics and highest resolutions down to the picometer range. Read more
Recent successes in laser processing come down to a tandem of progression in ultra-short pulse laser technologies, motion control and industrial automation. In order to direct the laser beam precisely to where its energy is needed, either the beam can be manipulated, or the sample that needs to be machined or processed may be manipulated instead. This is possible by steering the beam with a set of movable mirrors, often called a Galvo Scanner, or by moving the sample in the X and Y coordinate. High end solutions combine both methods to achieve greater precision and speed. Read more and watch the video
When it comes to high precision, granite-based, multi-axis motion systems, manufacturers have two fundamental options: Design a motion system where the granite base becomes an integral part, with bearings mounted directly on the granite slab and no need for a base plate – or, use off-the-shelf, discrete motion / positioning stages and mount them on a granite base or split-bridge granite structure. The decision for each individual case depends on a number of factors which will be discussed below, as both of these multi-axis motion platform designs have specific advantages and limitations. Read more
Active alignment is the type of sensor alignment that uses the real-time images to assist in the positioning of the sensor. The X and Y position, degrees of rotation, tilt, and back focal distance are all measured via feedback from the sensor as it is being aligned. Read more
With PI Motion, high performance 3D Print Systems can be built in a matter of days, work with industrial standard STL files, and offer the highest level of performance. Read more
Magnetic levitation or MagLev technology allows frictionless motion with resolution down to the sub-nanometer range as well as the active control of all 6 degrees of freedom, without any mechanical restrictions or connections. Instead of traditional mechanical bearings, such as crossed-rollers, the moving platform is floating on and guided by magnetic fields that are calculated by sophisticated control algorithms. Watch the video
As of January 01, 2023, Physik Instrumente (PI) GmbH & Co. KG takes on 53 engineers, software experts, and other specialists from the insolvent IBS Ingenieurbüro Dr. Klaus Schnürer GmbH and establish a new subsidiary within the PI Group. Read more
Air bearing slides and air bearing tables provide high performance motion for applications that require 24/7 operation with high speed, precision and repeatability and without the need for maintenance. Air bearings precision motion systems are used in linear tables, rotation tables and also in multi-axis gantry robots. On the other end of the spectrum, air bearings can be designed for miniaturized nano-positioning stage applications. A place with a great deal of experience in the design and manufacture of air bearing motion systems is on the US East Coast in Massachusetts. Watch the video
