How are piezoelectric ceramics used in precision positioners for integrated-circuit manufacturing?

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Figure 1: Ferroelectric properties of barium titanate (BaTiO3). (Left) Above 120° C the structure of the BaTiO3 crystal is cubic, and there is no net polarization of charge; (right) below 120° C the structure changes to tetragonal, shifting the relative positions of the ions and causing a concentration of positive and negative charges toward opposite ends of the crystal. — capacitor dielectric and piezoelectric ceramics Figure 1: Ferroelectric properties of barium titanate (BaTiO₃). (Left) Above 120° C the structure of the BaTiO₃ crystal is cubic, and there is no net polarization of charge; (right) below 120° C the structure changes to tetragonal, shifting the relative positions of the ions and causing a concentration of positive and negative charges toward opposite ends of the crystal.

Piezoelectric ceramics are utilized in precision positioners for integrated-circuit manufacturing because they exhibit a change in dimension when subjected to an electromagnetic field.12

This phenomenon, known as the piezoelectric effect, occurs because these materials develop strain under an applied field due to the relative displacement of ions and the rotation of dipoles within the ceramic's unit cell. By precisely controlling the applied electric field, manufacturers can induce minute, highly accurate mechanical movements. This capability allows for the extreme precision required in the fabrication of integrated circuits, as well as in other high-resolution technologies such as scanning tunneling microscopes.1