• Journal of the Korean Vacuum Society
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.512-517
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• 2006

A reliable linear translation system was constructed. The system has six piezo legs, attached to a main body, holding a hexagonal sapphire rod. The sapphire rod moves either forward or backward with the sequential motion of the piezo legs, driven by characteristic electric voltage waves. The translational system was tested in vertical direction. The speed of the sapphire rod was turned out to be constant during several mm travel. The slowest upward speed was measured to be ${\sim}1.7{\times}10^{-6}m/s$, yielding ${\sim}28.3nm/step$, while the slowest upward speed was ${\sim}3.7{\times}10^{-6}m/s$, with ${\sim}61.7nm/step$, due to gravitational force. The velocity increases linearly, as the amplitude of the voltage waves increases. The linear translation system will be used as a coarse approach part for a scanning tunneling microscope.