Nanotechnology in space: precision positioning and measuring using piezoelectric translators and capacitance micrometers

Capacitance micrometers are ideal for measuring movements and deflections from millimetres down to picometres. They are compact, reliable and easy to fabricate onto a structure being monitored. Their linearity, are completely hysteresis free and have the advantage of zero power dissipation at the sensing position. Once a displacement has been measured, by whatever means, piezoelectric translators provide a very convenient method of correcting it. Piezoelectric translators can also be used to produce wanted displacements or rotations. The disadvantages of piezoelectrics such as nonlinearity, hysteresis and creep can be overcome by using them in a closed-loop configuration with capacitance micrometers or other position sensors