Metrology

Introduction

SmarAct’s PICOSCALE products are based on optical methods for the contactless measurement of displacements and vibrations. Because no physical contact is required, the objects will not be affected by the measurement. This is especially relevant for smaller objects, whose dynamics are easily influenced by the attachment of conventional measurement probes.

The PICOSCALE Interferometers are widely used in positioning technology and allow tracking of displacements at pm resolution. A variety of sensor heads have been developed to adapt the measurement to your exact requirements. This includes the operation at different distances, on different samples but also the measurement of angles. Special sensor heads are available for extreme conditions such as cryogenics, high radiation and vacuum.

Beyond measuring displacements, PICOSCALE Interferometers are used for the characterization of the dynamic performance during motion. Because the positional data is measured at a very high bandwidth, vibrations can be accurately identified in real time. The PICOSCALE Interferometer can simultaneously measure vibrations at up to 3 points on an object. To address the need to measure more points for modal analysis, the PICOSCALE Vibrometer measures up to 1 million points on an object. The PICOSCALE Vibrometer is a turnkey solution to measure vibrations of micromechanical structures with sizes that range from just a few µm up to 20 mm. Applications include the testing of MEMS, miniature loudspeakers and microphones but also bearings and actuators. Because the instrument is equipped with an integrated microscope and can measure up 1 million points, it is excellently suited to visualize vibrational modes at high spatial and temporal resolution.