SCANLAB's digital encoder technology extends the company's fully digital iDRIVE^® solution platform by providing highest dynamic performance with close-to-XY-stage precision, as well as comprehensive position feedback and process monitoring. This enables applications that require both high precision and high throughput, a property mix unachievable with previous scan systems or other beam-positioning technologies.

Digital encoders are integrated into SCANLAB's dynAXISde^® galvanometer scanners, intelliSCANde^® scan systems and varioSCANde^® dynamic focusing units. Special care has been taken to ensure that use of digital encoders (even for a mid-size aperture of 14 mm) will enhance positioning precision without compromising dynamic performance or mechanical dimensions.

SCANLAB's first XY scan systems to feature digital encoders are the intelliSCANde^®14 and intelliDRILLde^®20. Their dynAXISde^®M galvanometer scanners equal or exceed the high dynamic performance of the industryproven dynAXIS^®M (with analog position detectors). They enable laser scanning with a positioning resolution of 19-20 bits, exceptionally low dither (electronic noise), best linearity and lowest drift. An SL2-100 interface facilitates comprehensive 20-bit control via SCANLAB's RTC^®5 PC interface board or RTC^®5 PC/104-Plus board. Line pitch can be precisely adjusted for scribing applications and to eliminate effects such as Moiré patterns.

Applications that require a small-spot-size laser focus precisely positionable within a large processing area (e.g. photovoltaic manufacturing or rapid prototyping) will typically use short-wavelength DPSS or single-mode IR lasers and large-aperture scan systems. The short-Rayleigh-length characteristic for such systems raises the need for high focus-positioning resolution in the third dimension, too. varioSCANde^® dynamic focusing units meet this requirement. Here, SCANLAB's digital encoder technology helps optimize precision, speed, resolution and linearity, while substantially reducing drift effects. Additional SCANLAB digital-encoder-equipped scan systems with high-end capabilities will primarily include the intelliSCANde^®20, 25 and 30, as well as the intelliDRILLde^®30.

download data sheet