Physik Instrumente (PI) has introduced the A-725, a five-axis air bearing nanopositioning system that pairs a true planar XY stage with an integrated parallel-kinematics Z-θX-θY module. Designed and built in the US, the system targets semiconductor manufacturing, photonics, metrology, microscopy, and precision automation, with PI citing "frictionless motion" and "high geometric accuracy" in a compact footprint. The A-725 is launching at Photonics West.
The stage ships in multiple configurations, with XY travel ranging from 100 × 100 mm to 300 × 400 mm, 5 mm of Z travel, and ±2 degrees of tip/tilt. Platform diameter is fixed at 250 mm, and payload capacity tops out at 8 kg, enough for optical inspection, alignment, and laser dicing tasks.
The base stage builds on PI's existing A-311 planar air bearing design, where the platform moves across a single reference plane in both X and Y instead of the axis-stacked layout common to conventional multi-axis stages. That eliminates stacking errors and minimizes Abbe offsets. Engineers running wafer inspection or photonics alignment routines will care about that distinction, since stacking errors and Abbe offsets are exactly the accuracy losses that compound across repeated multi-axis moves on conventional gantry-style stages.
The Z-tip-tilt function comes from PI's A-523 module, mounted above the base stage to keep the center of gravity low even as it adds vertical and angular motion. Ironless three-phase linear motors drive all five axes, PI says, removing friction, backlash, cogging, and wear from the motion path. Every unit ships wired, tested, and servo-tuned with PI's ACS-based EtherCAT controllers, which PI says cuts commissioning time on the shop floor.
PI lists wafer stealth slicing and material research alongside semiconductor test and photonics alignment among the A-725's target applications. Alongside the launch, PI released a video titled "Systems in Motion: Improving Wafer Inspection & Metrology w/Air Bearings and Piezo Nanopositioning Stages," tying the new stage to its broader air bearing and piezo nanopositioning lineup for wafer-handling tools.
