Prior Scientific opens new office in China

Prior Scientific a global leader in the design and manufacture of precision positioning devices, automated solutions and components. Is today pleased to announce the opening of its new office in Suzhou, China to give local presence with support and sales. CEO Tom Freda said: “The opening of this new office in China marks another milestone […]

Queensgate Instruments has been acquired by Prior Scientific Instruments Ltd

Prior Scientific Instruments are global leaders in delivering high precision motorized stages, microscope automation products and specialty opto-mechanical automation systems. Queensgate instruments designs and produces leading performance nano positioning and measurement systems used in a wide range of applications from atomic force microscopy, hard disc testing, lithography and metrology. Both companies have significant experience delivering customised solutions […]

NPL Poster: Performance verification of a dual sensor stage

Abstract: The current trend for nanopositioning with increased speed has led to the development by Queensgate of a dual sensor system for servo control of single axis displacement stages. The stage and control system is currently being evaluated using optical interferometry developed at the National Physical Laboratory. Preliminary results show the performance of the optical interferometer […]

Smaller Worlds – John Andrew Clarke of Queensgate Instruments looks at the shrinking world of nanopositioning

In most fields of engineering, working to micrometre accuracy is considered to be the standard, with typical high-quality bearings having tolerances within hundreds or even tens of microns. But pioneers working in nanopositioning are now operating at tens of picometres – a million times smaller. For comparison, an atom is around one to five-hundred picometres […]

The incredible world of nano positioning

Queensgate Instruments specialize in creating nano positioning and sensing solutions for high-technology industries, with variants suitable for precision measurement in UHV, radiation environments and cryogenic temperatures. Positioning control With data and processing demands increasing year on year, there is a constant drive to make technology ever smaller. This presents new challenges for manufacture and inspection […]

Meeting the demands of positioning and sensing in UVAC environments

UVAC versions of the Queensgate Series NanoSensors and our DPT-D and DPT-E ranges of Digital Piezo Actuators are widely used in Synchrotrons and Beamline applications. NX/NZ NanoSensors The NX/NZ non-contact position measuring systems are based on the principle of capacitance micrometry with superior resolution and stability performance. Two sensor plates (the target sensor and probe […]

Subnanometre positioning in a vacuum – the NC Nanosensor capacitive sensor series

The NC NanosensorTM capacitive sensor series, has been specially developed to meet the requirements of partial accelerators. The NCG-1-AL-UHV Capacitive Sensors are the longest range sensors in the Queensgate range. Designed for high resolution positioning in harsh environments. The NanoSensors are non-heating and maintain their zero position when powered down. Originally developed for magnet positioning inside vacuum, it offers […]

Astronomy and space science nanopositioning solutions

Space and space challenges Over the decades, Queensgate Instruments has undertaken various one-off space-borne projects as subcontractor and in collaboration with companies working for NASA and ESA. These included precision capacitance micrometers used in the “force
moment sensor”, part of the robot-arm mechanisms used on the International Space Station and the Space Shuttle.
The capacitive sensing systems […]

No compromise: precision, accuracy and speed

Choosing the right nanopositioning system for your application requires
 an understanding of the resolution, accuracy and range required, in addition to cost and reliability. Increasingly, dynamic issues dominate applications, with requirements for real-time/high- dynamic applications. Typical examples of applications include, large mirror positioning/bending, crystal rotation, grating positioning, lithography, optical disk manufacturing, and laser beam tracking […]

The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) – Testing nanopositioning devices for Queensgate

The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) has a long standing collaboration with Queensgate Instruments in the area of provision of metrology for nanopositioning. NPL and Queensgate recently completed an Innovate UK project in which NPL developed optical interferometry to enable Queensgate to verify the performance of the next generation of its nanopositioning stages. Queensgate’s nanopositioning devices […]

New – Dual Sensor Technology from Queensgate

Queensgate Instruments new Dual Sensor Technology™ is a ground­breaking new objective scanning mechanism and analogue controller, offering faster, more accurate and more stable microscope objective focusing than ever before. Dual Sensor Technology is a pioneering control technique that represents a step change in nanopositioning technology, overcoming the limitations of traditional controllers and allowing faster step responses, […]