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THORLABS MNA601/IR, User Manual

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27

NanoTrak Autoalignment Controller

Fig. 3.6   NanoTrak screen - circle coordinates

TIA tab

Fig. 3.7   NanoTrak Settings panel - TIA tab

This panel is used to modify the autoranging and output characteristics of the
NanoTrak input amplifier circuit (Trans-impedance amplifier (TIA) circuit).

Input Signal Amplifier (TIA) Autoranging Settings

Auto-ranging Mode

 - when auto-ranging mode is selected on the GUI panel, range

changes occur whenever the input signal reaches the upper or lower end of the
currently set range.

This parameter specifies how these range changes are implemented by the system.

Note

This setting affects only the NanoTrak screen and not the main 'Settings' display.

If 'Microns' is selected and no piezo actuators are connected, the system sets 

automatically the increment size to be the micron equivalent of 1 NT unit, e.g. for 

a 20µm piezo travel, the increment would be set to 2µm. 

To indicate that 'Microns' is selected and no piezo is connected, the data 

displayed at the bottom of the NanoTrak screen is set to zero. 

Summary of Contents for MNA601/IR

Page 1: ...MNA601 IR NanoTrak Control Module User Guide Original Instructions ...

Page 2: ...k System Architecture 11 2 3 3 Highly Adaptable Settings 11 2 3 4 Ease of Use 11 2 3 5 Rear Panel Connections 12 2 3 6 Detector Heads and Cables 13 Chapter 3 Set Up and Operation 14 3 1 Introduction 14 3 2 Software Installation and Upgrade 15 3 2 1 Software Installation 15 3 3 System Setup 15 3 4 Assigning a Serial Number 16 3 5 Manual Operation NanoTrak 17 3 5 1 Description of GUI Panel Controls ...

Page 3: ...er I O Connector 36 4 2 3 Rear Panel Piezo In Connector 37 4 3 Preventive Maintenance 38 4 3 1 Safety Testing 38 4 3 2 Cleaning 38 Appendices Appendix A Troubleshooting 39 Appendix B Specifications and Associated Parts 40 Appendix C Associated Products 40 Appendix D NanoTrak Control Method Summary 41 Appendix E Using the Piezo Controller 45 Appendix F Principles of Operation 50 Appendix G Regulato...

Page 4: ...anner not specified by the manufacturer the protection provided by the equipment may be impaired In particular excessive moisture may impair operation Spillage of fluid such as sample solutions should be avoided If spillage does occur clean up immediately using absorbant tissue Do not allow spilled fluid to enter the internal mechanism Caution If your PC becomes unresponsive e g due to an operatin...

Page 5: ...modules to be fitted for specific nanopositioning and alignment applications For example a system configured to operate our APT606 6 axis nanopositioning stage which has six stepper motors and six piezoelectric actuators with displacement sensors would require 12 channels of motion control Using three stepper motor modules each with two channels provides the motor control using two piezoelectric c...

Page 6: ...nd system parameters are exposed through a set of ActiveX Drivers These exposed objects allow the modular electronics system to be driven from applications written by the user without the need to understand or alter the core system software In addition ActiveX technology is language independent allowing custom application development to be undertaken using any language or development system that s...

Page 7: ...tionality For example there are Controls available that can be used to manipulate image files connect to the internet or simply provide user interface components such as buttons and list boxes With the APT system ActiveX Controls are deployed to allow direct control over and also reflect the status of the range of electronic controller units Software applications that use ActiveX Controls are ofte...

Page 8: ... without the need for further programming intervention The APT ActiveX Controls collection provides a rich set of graphical user panels and programmable interfaces allowing users and client application developers to interact seamlessly with the APT hardware Each of the APT controller modules has an associated ActiveX Control and these are described fully in system online help or the handbooks asso...

Page 9: ...operations such as motor moves can be initiated For many users the APTUser application provides all of the functionality necessary to operate the APT hardware without the need to develop any further custom software For those who do need to further customise and automate usage of the APT modules e g to implement an alignment algorithm this application illustrates clearly how the rich functionality ...

Page 10: ...ty 2 3 NanoTrak Autoalignment Description 2 3 1 Introduction The APT Modular NanoTrak Controller is available for use with the Thorlabs APT Modular Motion Control System and represents the latest development in automated optical alignment technology It combines an intelligent active feedback alignment control system and a two channel piezoelectric controller into a single plug in unit As part of t...

Page 11: ...an be suspended outputs latched for static alignment requirements or dithering continued at smaller amplitudes for active continuous alignment in applications that suffer from drift see Chapter E for further information of the NanoTrak principle of operation 2 3 3 Highly Adaptable Settings There is an infinite variety of optical device alignment scenarios each with potentially different optical an...

Page 12: ...e drive signal of the piezo actuator to be monitored PIEZO IN 9 pin D type connector For use with piezo actuators with feedback capability Two types of feedback signal are supported AC Strain Gauge and DC 0 10V The pin function is dependent on the feedback option set in the Settings panel see Section D 1 2 and Section 4 2 3 DRIVE CHANNEL 2 as DRIVE CHANNEL 1 L1 Green Lit when power is applied to t...

Page 13: ...hangability of the optical input source A range of connectors are available which simply plug into the connector on the rear panel The MNA601 IR NanoTrak is supplied with an Infra Red InGaAs photodiode and a standard SMB connector for use with external detector heads which incorporate a PIN p type intrinsic n type diode A visible spectrum Si photodiode NTA009 is available separately ...

Page 14: ...ations to be developed in a Microsoft Windows environment The use of ActiveX interfacing technology means that programming of the unit can be achieved in any compatible language LabVIEW Visual Basic etc without the need for an extensive library of language specific functions Using the methods and properties described in the APTServer helpfile the APT NanoTrak controller can be programmed as part o...

Page 15: ...sociation has been made the APT server applies automatically suitable default parameter values on boot up of the software Run the APTConfig utility and associate each motor channel with its stage and axis see the APTConfig helpfile for detailed instructions Caution Some PCs may have been configured to restrict the users ability to load software and on these systems the software may not install run...

Page 16: ...ogrammed with a unique 8 digit serial number This serial number is key to operation of the APT Server software and is used by the Server to enumerate and communicate independently with multiple hardware units connected on the same USB bus Before an ActiveX control can communicate with the associated hardware unit the relevant serial number must be allocated to the control instance This is performe...

Page 17: ...17 NanoTrak Autoalignment Controller 3 5 Manual Operation NanoTrak 3 5 1 Description of GUI Panel Controls Fig 3 1 NanoTrak Software GUI ...

Page 18: ...ments the lower ranges may be unusable with typical signal to noise ratios Auto and Man push button control used to toggle between auto and manual ranging The LED in the button is lit when selected Digital Display shows the feedback signal level being measured Display Units show the measurement units associated with the display or returned by methods that return feedback signal readings If a PIN T...

Page 19: ...nd does not affect in any way those same readings when returned by ActiveX methods To change the setting click the arrow buttons Scan Circle Diameter control used to adjust the diameter of the scan circle when operating in Manual adjustment mode The current diameter is displayed in the Settings window Note Use of this control will automatically switch the circle diameter adjustment mode to Manual ...

Page 20: ...NanoTrak control loop Settings display shows user specified settings for the parameters listed below Note Some parameters can also be configured for automatic adjustment When operating in the relevant Auto mode the user specified values displayed may be different to the actual values applied and in some cases displayed on the CRT User Dia displays the circle diameter in NT units The circle diamete...

Page 21: ...ameter adjusted via Look Up Table see SetCircDiaLUTVal and SetCircDiaMode methods Settings button Displays the Settings panel which allows the NanoTrak s operating parameters to be entered see Section 3 5 2 Ident when this button is pressed the channel LEDs on the I O panel of the associated hardware module will flash for a short period Active lit when the unit is operating normally and no error c...

Page 22: ...or the scanning frequency is 43 75Hz This means that a stage driven by the NanoTrak makes 43 75 circular movements per second Different frequency settings allow more than one NanoTrak to be used in the same alignment scenario Refer to Section 3 6 3 for more information Diameter Mode this setting allows the different modes of circle diameter adjustment to be enabled and disabled If User Adjust is s...

Page 23: ...his value is too high then unstable NanoTrak operation indicated by a fluctuating circle can result The gain value can be specified in the range 100 to 10 000 Phase Compensations the feedback loop scenario in a typical NanoTrak application can involve the operation of various electronic and electromechanical components e g power meters and piezo actuators that could introduce phase shifts around t...

Page 24: ...inputs are selected when using an external power meter which generates a voltage output In this case the internal amplifier circuit is bypassed and ranging functionality as displayed on the GUI is inoperative The input can be set to 1V 2V 5V or 10V PIN TIA Reading Units Units Mode this parameter specifies the units relating to the input signal measured by the NanoTrak and is applicable only if a P...

Page 25: ...layed or returned as a calibrated value using the Voltage Calibration parameter e g if Voltage Calibration has been set to 20 a 1V signal into a 2V input range BNC will display a value of 10 Voltage Calibration the calibration factor used when User Calib is selected in the BNC Units Mode parameter Channel Outputs these parameters allow the horizontal and vertical channels of the NanoTrak to be ena...

Page 26: ...tal distances per mouse click Note The circle can be moved in both Latch and Tracking modes Relative Circle Move Increments When the circle is positioned by a mouse click the incremental distance can be set to NT units or microns If set to NT Units the increments can be set from 0 01 to 2 NT units If set to microns the limits are dependent upon the travel of the piezo actuator e g for a 20µm piezo...

Page 27: ...anges occur whenever the input signal reaches the upper or lower end of the currently set range This parameter specifies how these range changes are implemented by the system Note This setting affects only the NanoTrak screen and not the main Settings display If Microns is selected and no piezo actuators are connected the system sets automatically the increment size to be the micron equivalent of ...

Page 28: ...takes place Higher SettleSamples values improve the signal to noise ratio when dealing with noisy feedback signals However higher SettleSamples values also slow down the autoranging response In a particular application the SettleSamples value should be adjusted to obtain the best autoranging response combined with a noise free signal Values can be set from 2 to 32 with a default setting value of 4...

Page 29: ...gnal limited at 250mA 500MA Current output piezo drive signal limited at 500mA Low Pass Filter This parameter sets the cut off frequency of the hardware low pass filter applied to the HV amplifier output channels It applies to both channels simultaneously 10HZ Cut off all signals above 10Hz 100HZ Cut off all signals above 100Hz 5KHZ Cut off all signals above 5KHz NONE Low pass filter inactive Feed...

Page 30: ... in the display 4 Press the Auto button to select Auto mode Ensure that the Auto LED is lit 5 Adjust the actuator on the positioning stage such that the fibers are spaced well apart with zero power transmission between them Alternatively switch off or obscure the optical power source Make a note of the bar graph displays of relative power input and range Since the optical source has been removed o...

Page 31: ... Note If the circle reaches the edge of the display this means that the piezo actuators cannot move far enough to reach the position of maximum power The horizontal and vertical actuators should be adjusted to bring the circle away from the edge of the screen see Fig 3 9 If the circle tends to drift increase the scan circle diameter if the circle tends to oscillate decrease the scan circle diamete...

Page 32: ...Select the Input Output tab then set the Input Signal Source to PIN TIA 7 In the slave NanoTrak GUI select Settings 8 Select the Tracking tab then set the Circle User Frequency e g 30 Hz 9 Select the Input Output tab then set the Input Signal Source to BNC 10V 10 Set both NanoTraks to Track 11 Once alignment is achieved tracking can be verified Move the axes of the stage s by a small amount The ci...

Page 33: ...piezo drive connections slave NanoTrak connection from pin 26 signal and pin 25 ground earth HV OUT LV OUT SIG IN PIEZO IN OPTICAL PIN IN USER I O DRIVE CHANNEL 1 DRIVE CHANNEL 2 PIEZO IN HV OUT LV OUT L1 L2 HV OUT LV OUT SIG IN PIEZO IN OPTICAL PIN IN USER I O DRIVE CHANNEL 1 DRIVE CHANNEL 2 PIEZO IN HV OUT LV OUT L1 L2 waveguide ...

Page 34: ... corrosive agents or excessive moisture heat or dust If the unit has been stored at a low temperature or in an environment of high humidity it must be allowed to reach ambient conditions before being powered up 4 1 3 Identifying Unsafe Equipment Whenever it is suspected that the safety of the product has been impaired it is recommended that an appropriate label recognized by your company be attach...

Page 35: ... laser or pigtailed laser diode Ensure the fiber ends are clean and well cleaved 3 If using the NanoTrak detector connect the fiber to the OPTICAL I P If using an external detector head connect the output fiber to the detector head Using the SMB terminated cable connect the detector head to the OPTICAL PIN I P connector of the NanoTrak Warning High voltages may be present at the rear panel termina...

Page 36: ...e referenced to the indicated return pin for the signal to be true Notes Opto isolated TTL level signal For use with digital signals For use with external signal monitoring equipment For use with dual NanoTrak applications Fig 4 2 NanoTrak User I O Connector Pin Description Return Pin Description Return Pin Description Return 1 DIG I P 1 19 10 DIG O P 1 19 19 Isolated Ground 2 DIG I P 2 19 11 DIG ...

Page 37: ... is applicable only to Thorlabs actuators It enables the system to identify the piezo extension associated with the actuator Software switchable signal for strain gauge or d c feedback see Section D 1 2 Fig 4 3 Piezo In connector pin identification Note For use with piezo actuators with feedback capability Pin Description Return 1 Wheatstone bridge excitation 4 or 6 2 15V 4 or 6 3 15V 4 or 6 4 d c...

Page 38: ...ent is operated with the covers removed Only personnel authorized by Thorlabs Ltd and trained in the maintenance of this equipment should remove its covers or attempt any repairs or adjustments Maintenance is limited to safety testing and cleaning as described in the following sections Caution The instrument contains a power supply filter Insulation testing of the power supply connector should be ...

Page 39: ...wer threshold If the power meter is set to a range that is too sensitive it can be activated by noise Increase the range or adjust the micrometers to increase the optical power Question Given the answer 5 above how can I verify that the NanoTrak is really tracking Answer If you make a small adjustment to one of the Micrometers the circle will move slightly as the NanoTrak adjusts its drive outputs...

Page 40: ...Output 0 to 75V d c per channel Voltage Stability 100ppm over 24 hours Output Current 500mA per channel Piezo In feedback 9 pin female D type connector User Control 26 pin female D type connector General Housing Dimensions W x D x H 190 x 270 x 50 mm 7 6 x 10 8 x 2 0 in Instrument Weight 1 5 kg 3 3 lb Product Name Part Number APT Modular Rack MMR601 InGaAs Detector NTA007 Silicon Detector NTA009 D...

Page 41: ...btaining setting circle size and position and determining if NanoTracking is currently taking place For details on the use of the NanoTrak controller and information on the principles of operation refer to the NanoTrak Operating Guide A brief summary of each method and property is given below for more detailed information and individual parameter descriptions please see the on line help file suppl...

Page 42: ...fier GetRangingMode Obtains the current ranging mode GetRangingParams Returns the autoranging characteristics for the NanoTrak input amplifier circuit GetReading Obtains the absolute signal value at the current position GetTrackMode Obtains the tracking mode settings GetTrackThreshold Obtains the tracking threshold of the NanoTrak GetUnitsMode Obtains the setting for units relating to the input si...

Page 43: ...lied to output readings of the internal amplifier TIA circuitry SetPhaseComp Sets the phase compensation for the horizontal and vertical components of the circle path SetPowerCaptureParams Used to store the power readings measured by the NanoTrak SetRange Sets the range of the internal amplifier SetRangingMode Sets the current ranging mode SetRangingParams Sets the autoranging characteristics for ...

Page 44: ...t to Track Properties APTHelp Specifies the help file that will be accessed when the user presses the F1 key If APTHelp is set to True the main server helpfile APTServer will be launched HWSerialNum specifies the serial number of the hardware unit to be associated with an ActiveX control instance ...

Page 45: ... output Note that the read out in the main digital display is independent of the operating mode open or closed loop selected for the particular channel If the Volts button is selected then the read out is in volts even if the channel is in closed loop mode and the Output control is being used to adjust position Similarly if the position button is selected the read out is in microns derived from th...

Page 46: ... The step size can be set either via the Settings panel or by calling the SetJogStepSize method Input Source displays the input source associated with the selected channel The input source can be set either via the Settings panel or by calling the SetIPSource method If SW Only is dispayed the unit responds only to software inputs and the output to the piezo actuator is that set using the SetVoltOu...

Page 47: ...nnel 0 to 255 Integral sets the integral feedback loop constant for the selected channel 0 to 255 Input Source determines the input source s which controls the output from the HV amplifier circuit i e the drive to the piezo actuators SW Only the unit responds only to software inputs and the HV amp output is that set using the SetVoltOutput method or the GUI panel Output control BNC SW the unit sum...

Page 48: ...Z Cut off all signals above 100Hz 5KHZ Cut off all signals above 5KHz NONE Low pass filter inactive Feedback Signal Type This parameter sets the type of feedback signal used when operating the HV amplifier channels in closed loop operation Two types of feedback signal are supported AC Strain Gauge The AC Strain Gauge mode refers to the use of AC excited strain gauge feedback signals as generated b...

Page 49: ... Even if the module is in open loop mode the signal from the position sensor can still be displayed In the case of actuators with position feedback there are 4 modes of operation in total 1 Open loop display voltage applied to actuator 2 Closed loop display position microns measured by sensor 3 Closed loop display voltage applied to actuator 4 Open loop display position microns measured by sensor ...

Page 50: ... of optical fibers In Fig E 1 one of the fibers is fixed the other is mounted on a piezo actuated stage that moves the fiber in the horizontal and vertical axes The NanoTrak must adjust the position of the moving fiber until the power transmitted between the two is maximized Fig E 2 shows a block diagram of the NanoTrak control loop In many applications a waveguide or similar device replaces one o...

Page 51: ...equency component at the scanning frequency and the phase of this relative to the circle scan voltages gives information on which direction to move When the circle is centred in the ideal position the power signal contains no modulation at the scanning frequency However at position A the signal has a phase difference with respect to the modulating signal The power signal is Fourier analysed and th...

Page 52: ...ses of the modulating signal which results in both horizontal and vertical error signals As mentioned previously the polarity of the error signals corresponds to the relative position of the two fibers and consequently the signals can be used to drive the piezos until the fibers are aligned and the error voltages fall to zero Once the NanoTrak has found the position of maximum power if one of the ...

Page 53: ... the shape and dimensions of the optical curve associated with a particular application but should be between 1 10 and 1 20 FWHM full width half maximum Under normal operation the circle size should be reduced in proportion to the coupled signal from a maximum of 3 µm to a value of less than 50nm At the point of optimized alignment this small modulating signal results in a small a c component suff...

Page 54: ...s which means that the NanoTrak is always reacting to a power reading which was taken in the past This in turn can cause a phase shift and in extreme cases can lead to instability A phase offset can be introduced to compensate for any phase shifts In the APT system a different phase offset can be specified for each axis of motion This is particularly useful in those mechanical systems that exhibit...

Page 55: ...ically hundreds of newtons Perhaps the most useful property of these actuators is their ability to produce oscillating motion at considerable frequencies usually limited by the mechanical system driven rather than by the piezo actuator itself This ability is used to advantage in the NanoTrak control system for example The electric field gradient needed to produce a useful amount of expansion is qu...

Page 56: ...easures the position the circuit subtracts the measured position from the demand position to get the error and a proportional integral feedback loop adjusts the voltage to the actuator until the error is virtually zero Some Thorlabs nanopositioning actuators have position sensing others do not The Piezoelectric control module allows both types to be controlled To control an actuator with position ...

Page 57: ...p control is a linear relationship between demand voltage and measured position see Fig E 9 in contrast to open loop control see Fig E 7 Fig E 9 Closed loop response Open loop control demand amp actuator moving part moving part actuator sensor amp a b s Closed loop control demand real position demand position ...

Page 58: ...cause harmful interference in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his own expense Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the company could void the user s authority to operate the equipment F 2 Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment WEEE Directive F 2 1 Compliance As required by the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment WEEE Directive of the Europ...

Page 59: ...orlabs or your nearest dealer for further information F 2 2 Waste treatment on your own responsibility If you do not return an end of life unit to the company you must hand it to a company specialized in waste recovery Do not dispose of the unit in a litter bin or at a public waste disposal site F 2 3 Ecological background It is well known that WEEE pollutes the environment by releasing toxic prod...

Page 60: ...IR auto alignment control module complies with the following Harmonized European Standards BS EN 61326 1 1998 BS EN 61000 3 2 2000 BS EN 61000 3 3 1995 EN 61010 1 2001 And is in conformity with 93 68 EEC CE Marking Directive 1996 89 336 EEC EMC Directive 1996 73 23 EEC Low Voltage Directive 1997 Signed in Ely place On the 8 day of November 2011 day month year Name Keith Dhese Position General Mana...

Page 61: ...61 NanoTrak Autoalignment Controller ...

Page 62: ...62 HA0118T Rev 6 Feb 2016 Chapter 4 ...

Page 63: ...France Thorlabs SAS 109 rue des Côtes 78600 Maisons Laffitte France Tel 33 0 970 444 844 Fax 33 0 811 381 748 www thorlabs de email sales fr thorlabs com Scandinavia Thorlabs Sweden AB Bergfotsgatan 7 431 35 Mölndal Sweden Tel 46 31 733 30 00 Fax 46 31 703 40 45 www thorlabs de email scandinavia thorlabs com Japan Thorlabs Japan Inc Higashi Ikebukuro Q Building 1st Floor 2 23 2 Toshima ku Tokyo 17...

Page 64: ... Ltd Saint Thomas Place Ely Cambridgeshire CB7 4EX UK Tel 44 0 1353 654440 Fax 44 0 1353 654444 www thorlabs com Thorlabs Inc 56 Sparta Ave Newton NJ07860 USA Tel 1 973 579 7227 Fax 1 973 300 3600 www thorlabs com ...

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