Optical Trapping & Optical Tweezers
Piezo Stages for Optical Trapping and Optical Tweezers
XYZ piezo nanopositioning stages with capacitive feedback, parallel kinematics, high linearity, and exceptional stability for optical trapping, force spectroscopy, and single-molecule research.
Why Optical Tweezers Need High-Stability Piezo Stages
Optical trapping requires stages with the highest positional stability, repeatability, and linearity. Small position errors can directly affect force measurements, bead tracking, molecule manipulation, and long-duration experiments.
Stages with capacitive direct metrology and parallel kinematics are recommended because they provide precise multi-axis motion without stacked-axis error accumulation. This is especially useful for optical tweezers, where smooth nanometer-scale motion and low drift are critical.
Digital piezo controllers, provide advanced linearization and servo control algorithms for demanding tracking and scanning applications.
Key Requirements
- High position stability
- Low drift and low noise
- Capacitive direct feedback
- Smooth nanometer motion
- Parallel kinematic multi-axis control
PI is a sponsor of the PhET optical tweezer simulation program at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Article: Piezo Microscope Stage Improves Optical Tweezers
Read more about how piezo microscope stages improve positioning performance in optical tweezers applications.
Piezo Stage Examples for Optical Trapping
| Image | Model | Description | Travel | Sensor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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PInano Trak | XY and XYZ ultra-high-speed tracking stage with aperture for microscope slides. 20mm low profile. Under 5 msec response time, subnanometer resolution. High performance controller included. | to 70 x 70 x 50 µm | Piezoresistive |
 |
P-517, P-527 | Multi-axis XY, XYZ, and XYθz piezo stages with 66 x 66 mm clear aperture. Faster Z dynamics than PIMars™ stages. Used in optical tweezers research, including micro- and nanocapillary probing of DNA. | to 200 µm XY, 20 µm Z, to 4 mrad |
Capacitive |
 |
P-561 - P-563 | PIMars™ multi-axis piezo stage family for XY and XYZ nanopositioning. Longer Z travel than the P-517 / P-527 series. | to 300 x 300 x 300 µm | Capacitive |
 |
P-562.6CD | High-precision 6-axis piezo nanopositioning stage system for applications requiring coordinated linear and angular motion. Vacuum version available. | 200 µm linear, 1 mrad tilt |
Capacitive |
 |
P-733.2DD, P-733.3DD | High-speed scanning piezo stage in XY and XYZ versions, well suited for scanning microscopy, single molecule tracking, and precise positioning tasks. | 30 x 30 x 10 µm | Capacitive |
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E-713 | Digital piezo controller system with up to 50 kHz servo update rate for tracking and scanning applications. Supports PID and advanced adaptive piezo control algorithms, multiple interfaces, low-noise D/A converters, and up to 6 axes. | - | - |
