Apex Microtechnology Piezo Drives

Apex Microtechnology Piezo Drives support high-voltage, high-precision drive electronics for piezoelectric actuators that require fast, accurate, and stable voltage transitions into highly capacitive loads. Apex power operational amplifiers are used in piezo drive and deflection applications, providing linearity, high slew rates, fast settling times, and low crossover distortion.

The piezoelectric actuators rely on precise voltage control rather than continuous current delivery, which makes amplifier performance critical to system speed, stability, and positioning accuracy. Apex Piezo Drives quickly and repeatably charge and discharge actuator capacitance, supporting applications that require rapid movement with minimal overshoot, distortion, or mechanical error.

The drive solutions are excellent for sonar transducer drivers, optical mirror positioning, beam steering systems, and other precision motion applications that depend on fast response, high stiffness, and sub-micron to sub-nanometer positioning resolution. The piezo drive designs require careful balancing of voltage, speed, stability, and power dissipation to maintain consistent performance across operating conditions.

Features

High-voltage, high-precision drive electronics for piezoelectric actuators
Linear power operational amplifier solutions for piezo drive and deflection applications
High slew rates and fast settling times for rapid actuator response
Low crossover distortion for precision drive signal quality

Dynamic current delivery for charging and discharging capacitive actuator loads during voltage transitions
Support for rapid, random positioning with minimal overshoot or distortion
Precision voltage control for motion systems where electrical noise or distortion can translate into mechanical error

Applications

Sonar and ultrasonic transducer drivers
Optical mirror positioning and beam steering
Precision deflection and positioning systems
Medical and diagnostic imaging

Vibration control
Semiconductor equipment
Industrial printing systems

Understanding Piezoelectric Actuators

Additional Resources

Common Requirements for Driving Piezoelectric Systems

• High output voltage - many piezo actuators require hundreds of volts to achieve full displacement
• High slew rate - fast voltage transitions are necessary to achieve rapid actuation and high system bandwidth
• Peak output current capability - significant peak current is required during voltage transitions to charge/discharge the actuator’s capacitance
• Low noise and distortion - electrical noise and signal distortion translate directly into mechanical error
• Fast settling time and stability - overshoot, ringing, or instability caused by capacitive loading can degrade accuracy and repeatability
• Thermal performance and power dissipation - reactive currents and high voltage operation can result in substantial internal power dissipation