Olympus Optical Company, Ltd.

Shuichi Ito

Akitoshi Toda

Hirofumi Miyamoto

Akira Yagi

Kenya Okazaki

Hirohisa Fujimoto

A tube scanner comprises a piezoelectric ceramic in the form of a hollow cylinder, which is externally surrounded by a Z-axis outside electrode and four slip-shaped driving electrodes arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction. The piezoelectric ceramic is internally surrounded by a Z-axis inside electrode and an XY-axis common electrode. The Z-axis inside electrode faces the Z-axis outside electrode across the piezoelectric ceramic, while the XY-axis common electrode faces the X- and Y-axis driving electrodes across the ceramic. Opposite-polarity voltages are applied to the Z-axis outside electrode and the Z-axis inside electrode, individually, whereupon the tube scanner is displaced in the Z-axis direction.

Scanner system and piezoelectric micro-inching mechansim used in scanning probe microscope

A scanner system includes, a tube type piezoelectric scanner having a free end displaceable in X, Y and Z directions and supporting a sample at its free end, a driven for applying voltages to the scanner for displacing the sample an optical unit for optically detecting the X, Y and Z direction displacements of the free end and for outputting corresponding displacement signals, and a scan controller for computing correction signals based on the displacement signals so as to apply voltages which correct the voltage-displacement nonlinear characteristic of the scanner to the scanner and for supplying them to the driver.

Scanner system

A scanner system includes, a tube type piezoelectric scanner having a free end displaceable in X, Y and Z directions and supporting a sample at its free end, a driver for applying voltages to the scanner for displacing the sample, an optical unit for optically detecting the X, Y and Z direction displacements of the free end and for outputting corresponding displacement signals, and a scan controller for computing correction signals based on the displacement signals so as to apply voltages which correct the voltage-displacement nonlinear characteristic of the scanner to the scanner and for supplying them to the driver.

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Sagamihara, Japan

Shuichi Ito