Comparison of strain gage and interferometric detection for measurement and control of piezoelectric actuators

The capability of controllable and repeatable positioning in the subnanometer range is fundamental not only for scanning probe microscope applications, but also for nanotechnology in general. Up to now, piezoceramic actuators have been used for this purpose. However, these actuators are far from being ideal transducers. For precise metrological applications, as well as for general use in scanning probe microscopy, some method has to be implemented to correct creep and nonlinearity of piezoceramic materials. In the present study, two different position measuring systems have been implemented—one based on strain gage detection and the other on interferometry. The corresponding results are presented and the performance of both setups compared.