Thorlabs has expanded its piezoelectric product line with the release of high-temperature multilayer actuators that can operate at temperatures as high as 250℃.
Manufactured in-house from BiScO3-PbTiO3 (BSPT) ceramics, the 5mm x 5mm x 3mm actuators provide up to 4µm of travel when driven with 150V.
Known for its high Curie temperature (up to 430℃), BSPT has been studied for decades; however, multilayer devices fabricated from the ceramic are rarely reported, the firm says.
“The BSPT actuators were inspired by a customer who was seeking to find a low voltage piezo actuator that could work above 200℃. Traditional piezo actuators based on PZT material have a maximum operating temperature of about 150℃,” said Renlong Gao, Thorlabs’ Piezo Product Line Manager. “During development, we confirmed that operating temperatures up to 250℃ were possible with BSPT and then fine-tuned our manufacturing processes to enable volume production.”
Custom BSPT piezo actuators with displacement up to 100µm and drive voltage down to 45V are available upon request.