A mechanical amplifier has been devised to multiply the stroke of a piezoelectric transducer (PZT) intended for use at liquid helium temperatures. Interferometry holds the key to high angular resolution imaging and astrometry in space. Future space missions that will detect planets around other solar systems and perform detailed studies of the evolution of stars and galaxies will use new interferometers that observe at mid- and far-infrared wavelengths. Phase-measurement interferometry is key to many aspects of astronomical interferometry, and PZTs are ideal modulators for most methods of phase measurement, but primarily at visible wavelengths. At far infrared wavelengths of 150 to 300 µm, background noise is a severe problem and all optics must be cooled to about 4 K. Under these conditions, piezos are ill-suited as modulators, because their throw is reduced by as much as a factor of 2, and even a wavelength or two of modulation is beyond their capability. The largest commercially available piezo stacks are about 5 in. (12.7 cm) long and have a throw of about 180 µm at room temperature and only 90 μm at 4 K. It would seem difficult or impossible to use PZTs for phase measurements in the far infrared were it not for the new mechanical amplifier that was designed and built.

A Four-Bar Linkage provides stroke amplification and momentum compensation for the PZT mounted inside it.
To compensate for the loss of travel at cryogenic temperatures, the PZT is mounted in a novel mechanical amplifier that supports one of the mirrors of the interferometer. The mechanical amplifier, shown in the figure, was designed based on an original concept at JPL dating from 1993. The mechanical amplifier resembles an elongated parallelogram with pairs of parallel flexures along each side. The PZT is compressed along the axis of the long diagonal of the parallelogram by support flexures at each end. The expansion of the PZT along the long diagonal causes the ends of the short diagonal to move towards each with a motion amplified by a factor of 3 or 4. The parallel flexures are used to eliminate unwanted twisting and vibration modes such that a small mirror will not tilt when translated by the amplifier. The support flexures that hold the PZT allow a symmetrical expansion of the piezo within the amplifier. The amplifier is designed to be completely symmetric and balanced such that inertia forces are nulled. This provides mechanical stability that allows rapid (100-Hz) sampling without inducing vibrations. Optical interferometers normally obtain the mechanical stability and momentum compensation by using an additional piezo stack mounted back-to-back with the first piezo so that the second one has motions that are equal but opposite in direction. By mounting the stack symmetrically with the support flexures the stack expands equally about its center, does not induce vibrations, and does not require momentum compensation.

This new mechanical amplifier provides both a longer stroke for standard piezo stacks and the necessary mechanical stability through an ingenious mounting arrangement. The device is made of titanium and machined using a wire EDM (electrical-discharge machining) process so as to be as strong and lightweight as possible. It is compact using only a single piezo stack, making it ideally suited for phase-measurement in a cryogenic environment.

This work was done by James Moore, Mark Swain, Peter Lawson, and Robert Calvet of Caltech for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. For further information, access the Technical Support Package (TSP) free on-line at www.techbriefs.com/tsp under the Mechanics category. NPO-30289.



This Brief includes a Technical Support Package (TSP).
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Mechanical Amplifier for a Piezoelectric Transducer

(reference NPO-30289) is currently available for download from the TSP library.

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