- Products - Physik Instrumente (PI) SE & Co. KG
PI Expands Its Photonics Portfolio with the 6D NanoCube: 6DoF Piezo System for Rapid and Efficient Active Alignment and Optical Coupling
As industries such as photonics, silicon photonics, and advanced optics manufacturing continue to demand high-resolution alignment, positioning solutions must address extremely high standards in precision, flexibility, and repeatability. The 6D NanoCube meets these demands by offering fiber array alignment with six degrees of freedom (6DoF) on a single device. Representing the next generation of piezo technology that enables integrated photonics probing, the 6D NanoCube combines PI’s long legacy of pioneering work in piezo materials and manufacturing with advanced algorithmic search and machine learning. This development provides optimal conditions for increased precision and efficiency, resulting in superior performance and high throughput.
Versatile Integration for Photonics Applications
Detecting optical coupling peaks in less than a second, the 6D NanoCube enhances precision in photonics applications and streamlines production cycles. The compact, lightweight design integrates easily into various setups while maintaining high precision. It is suited for applications such as active optics alignment, fiber-to-fiber, fiber-to-chip, fiber-to-component coupling, and fiber array alignment. Furthermore, the 6D NanoCube stands out for its ability to integrate as a turnkey subcomponent into wafer or production probers, including drive electronics and software algorithms.
Compact Design for High Dynamics and Minimum Incremental Motion
The 6D NanoCube expands the successful NanoCube line with the addition of 6-axis parallel kinematics. The structural design incorporates reliable PICMA piezo actuators for consistent, repeatable positioning with subnanometer resolution. The system offers a linear travel range of up to 500 µm, minimum incremental motion of 50 nm, and bidirectional repeatability of 40 nm. It enables motion in all six spatial axes: X, Y, Z (translational), and pitch, yaw, and roll (rotational). Its compact design (80 × 66 mm², <1 kg) integrates seamlessly into existing systems without compromising performance. It features six variable-length actuators on a single platform, linked to both the movable and base platforms by flexures for stiffness and high dynamics in all degrees of freedom.
Advanced Software Integration for Rapid Process Development
With the E-713 controller and PI Lightning technology, the system achieves high performance through fast alignment and rapid 3D searches, along with area and gradient scans. Comprehensive software support includes compatibility with C#, Python, LabVIEW, and MATLAB on both Windows and Linux platforms, facilitating rapid process development.
For more information, please visit:
Physik Instrumente (PI) in Brief
PI with headquarters in Karlsruhe, Germany, is the market and technology leader for high-precision positioning technology and piezo applications in the market segments of Industrial Automation, Photonics, Semiconductor, and Microscopy & Life Sciences. In close cooperation with customers from all over the world, PI’s more than 1,900 specialists have been continuously pushing the boundaries of what is technically feasible for more than fifty years. Various drive technologies, internally developed sensor technology, electronics, and control technology provide the basis for this. PI’s portfolio ranges from components to subsystems to tailor-made complete solutions. More than 560 granted and pending patents underline the company’s claim to leadership in the fields of precision positioning and piezo technology. PI operates on a global scale, with nine production sites in Europe, North America, and Asia, as well as sixteen sales and service subsidiaries.