The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 17, 1989
Filed:
Oct. 03, 1988
Louis N Rapp, Dansville, NY (US);
Burleigh Instruments, Inc., Fishers, NY (US);
Abstract
An electromechanical translator apparatus (24) which is especially suitable for use as the coarse positioner in a scanning tunneling microscope (10) (STM) which enables a specimen to be positioned with a resolution in the order of atomic distances (in the nanometer range) has a housing (26) containing a piezolectric driver in the form of a sleeve (32) surrounding a shaft (21) on one end of which the specimen (18) may be mounted. The driver sleeve (32) has an extension element (2) with clamping elements (1, 3) on opposite ends thereof and is connected and referenced to the housing at a region (4) thereon spaced from the extension element and preferably between the extension element (2) and the one of the clamping elements (1) closest to the end of the shaft (22) on which the specimen (18) is mounted (in the direction of controlled movement toward the scanning tip (16) of the STM). Because of the position of the connection (36) and referencing of the housing (26 ) undesired movement of the shaft such as upon engagement and releasing of the clamping elements (glitch movement) or due to piezoelectric material creep effects or spurious movement of the shaft (21) due to power supply noise, which changes the voltage applied to the extension element, is avoided thereby enabling controlled motion with resolution in the range required for STM applications and other applications which require high resolution controlled motion.