Contamination-Resistant Grid Encoder

OPTRA, Inc. (Topsfield, MA) announced the availability of a new contamination-resistant grid encoder for use with the NanoGrid® system. Because all grid elements are electrically connected, the entire grid surface can be set at a fixed electrical potential, thus eliminating static electricity and inhibiting particle accumulation. The encoder grid is an integral part of OPTRA’s ultra-precise position measurement systems.

The contamination-resistant grid encoder was developed for use with the NanoGrid® system.

These systems use laser diffraction principles to encode the position of a glass scale or grid relative to a sensor head with sub-nanometer resolution. All optical encoders lose accuracy when the incident laser light is interrupted by contamination on the grid surface.

OPTRA’s new product resists the accumulation of particles, allowing for operation in a less-than-clean room environment. The OPTRA NanoGrid offers three user-selectable standard data interfaces (32-bit parallel word, PCI-bus and serial A-quad-B) making it compatible with all popular motion controllers. The software drivers include a simple GUI, which ensures fast and reliable set-up and integration.

OPTRA is a supplier of ultra precision measurement solutions using state-of-the-art electro-optical technology. We market the NanoGrid®, NanoScale®, and NanoGage® nanometer resolution grid and linear encoder products to the semiconductor, disk drive, and general research industries.

Visit www.optra.com

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