MTCA.4 compliant piezo driver RTM for laser synchronization

Piezoelements are typically used for vibration control and damping. The piezo ability for fast and very precise positioning has also found a main application in the synchronization of mode-locked lasers. Piezos in laser oscillators have a typical capacity of a few hundred nF. They can be controlled with voltages in a range of -20V to 120V specified for room temperature conditions. What is more, they can be operated in a wide frequency range sometimes up to hundred kHz. In order to fulfill all above parameters the piezo driver module should have enough gain and bandwidth. The required power supply (internal or external) should allow unipolar power supplying of piezo elements. The main goal for the project is to build control electronics using Micro Telecommunications Computing Architecture (MTCA.4). The Piezo driver must be designed as Micro Rear Transition Module (μRTM) and it must be operable together with chosen group of low-level radio frequency (LLRF) Micro Advanced Mezzanine Cards (μAMC). Therefore the Piezo driver module must be placed inside a MTCA compatible crate equipped with dedicated Power Supply, CPU with Hard Disk, Carried Hub (MCH), Timing and Data Acquisition (DAQ) modules. The paper briefly discusses the piezo driver module design. The first measurements of the prototype unit are also presented.