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| Piezoelectric materials change dimension when an electric field is applied. This change is quite small, ~0.1%, but large forces are generated, ~ 100-1000 N. Since the dimensional change is moderately proportional to the applied field, piezoelectric materials or piezoactuators, are ideal for positioning applications where nanometer sensitivity is required. A typical piezoelectric material is lead zirconium titanate (PZT). In many ways, piezoelectric materials are similar to magnetic materials. Both exhibit hysteresis, a Curie Temperature and a poling direction. As the operating temperature approaches the Curie Temperature the actuators depole, the domains become unaligned, and the expansion with applied field is greatly reduced .Mad City Labs nanopositioning systems use multilayer piezoactuators. A multilayer piezoactuator is a stack of PZT thin films electrically connected in parallel. The thinner the film, the lower the voltage required for maximum expansion of the multilayer stack. Mad City Labs offers a range of Multilayer Piezoactuators, ready to use in a variety of applications. |
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