Thorlabs' piezoelectric actuators with a central through hole consist of stacked piezoelectric ceramic layers with interdigitated electrodes.

• Sub-Micron Resolution
• Drive Voltage Range of 0 to 150 V
• For Use in Open-Loop Setups
• Ideal for Vacuum and OEM Applications

The multilayer design enables high resonant frequencies and sub-millisecond response times, while the use of interdigitated electrodes minimizes the drive voltage range.

This compact piezoelectric chip can be easily integrated into systems for precision movement and provide maximum free stroke displacements from 1.8 µm to 3.0 µm. Through a precision grinding process, the accuracy of the design height is ensured to better than ±5 µm. This high accuracy makes it significantly easier to design devices around our piezoelectric chip.

The maximum displacement of these actuators is achieved when they are preloaded with the maximum displacement load, which is specified for each product. The actual value of the maximum displacement varies for each item and must be experimentally determined; however, the maximum displacement will always be larger than the free stroke displacement.

Each chip has an insulating ceramic layer on four exterior sides and along the interior through hole, which offers better protection against moisture than common epoxy-coated designs. The remaining two sides have screen-printed silver electrodes, to which the drive voltage is applied.