What are the pros and cons of piezo-electric vs step motor focusing control?
Comparison on focusing devices
As a rule piezo-electric focusing devices have far greater positioning accuracy. For example, older stepper motor driven stages already have trouble positioning with a 0.5 micron accuracy while good piezo stages are better than 10nm. On the other hand, modern stepper motor setups claim 0.1 micron 'accuracy' which in principle is sufficient for many applications. Whether the accuracy is really sufficient depends on factors like the maintainance state of the microscope, age of the lubricants in the gears, and so on.
Piezo driven focussing systems are also not without problems: hysteresis, temperature drift to name a few. To compensate for the latter, especially in cases where experiments are to be conducted at 37 degrees, we recommend a sensor feedback system.
Keywords: piezo stepper motor focusing drift z-stepper
Categories: Faq Microscopy, Huygens Faq, Imported Faqs
Platforms: Irix Linux Windows Mac AIX
Related products: Hu Ess Hu Pro
