Fast Z-sectioning
Move the objective instead of the sample, so optical sections can be stepped without disturbing live specimens.

Opto-Mechanics · Ambient Piezo Stages - Objective scanners
High-load objective Z scanner; 100 um Z travel; 1 nm closed-loop resolution; 560 Hz resonant frequency at 150 g load for high-bandwidth focusing.
Datasheet (PDF) ↗Catalog context
Carrier.OBHL100.C is listed in the Ambient Piezo Stages - Objective scanners family. The local catalog record provides these first selection fields: Active axes: Z; Mass: 500 g; Travel range: 100 μm.
| Active axes | Z |
|---|---|
| Mass | 500 g |
| Travel range | 100 μm |
| Linearity | 0.0003 |
| Repeatability | 3 nm |
| Sensor Type | Capacitive Sensor |
| Resolution(open loop) | 0.3 nm |
| Resolution(closed-loop) | 1 nm |
| Response Time | 5 ms |
| Stiffness | 3 N/um |
| Resonant Frequency(no load) | 1 KHz |
| Resonant Frequency(150 g) | 560 Hz |
| Controller | MC-Archimedes.N series |
Application context
Move the objective instead of the sample, so optical sections can be stepped without disturbing live specimens.
Hold focus against thermal drift over acquisitions lasting minutes to hours.
Acquire Z-stacks at a rate set by the scanner rather than by the microscope frame.
System integration
Use these checks to connect Carrier.OBHL100.C to the surrounding optical, mechanical and control system. Every value shown is taken from this model's own specification record.
Technical FAQ
Travel range: 100 μm · Repeatability: 3 nm. Separate travel from resolution and both from repeatability. Repeatability is what an automated sequence actually depends on, and it is the figure most often absent from a headline specification.
Resolution(open loop): 0.3 nm · Resolution(closed-loop): 1 nm. Pair open-loop mechanics with the specified high-voltage or inertial driver, and closed-loop variants with the controller their capacitive, strain-gauge or encoder feedback requires. Matching connectors do not guarantee electrical compatibility.
Resonant Frequency(no load): 1 KHz. Check the load rating in the orientation you will use it — a vertical or cantilevered load is a moment, not a mass — and match the base to an M6 pattern on a 25 mm grid or a 1/4"-20 pattern on a 1 inch grid.
Specifying this part
Moves the lens along the optical axis for focus stacks and z-series, leaving a liquid sample or mounted cell undisturbed. Travel options run 100, 200 and 400 µm; settling time rather than range is usually the limiting specification.
Most of the range is orderable as .HV (high vacuum), .UHV (ultra-high vacuum) or .NM (non-magnetic). The suffix changes materials, cabling and bake compatibility rather than the mechanics, so specify it against the chamber the stage will live in.
Full series comparison, controller pairing and mounting hardware on the ambient piezo stages overview, or work through the selection with the configurator.
Model selection
Compare Carrier.OBHL100.C with the closest available models in the Ambient Piezo Stages - Objective scanners family.
| Selection parameter | Carrier.OBHL100.C (current) | Carrier.OB400.C | Carrier.OB200.XY.C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel / adjustment | 100 μm | 400 μm | 200 X 200 μm |
| Resolution / sensitivity | 0.3 nm | 0.8 nm | 2 nm |
Carrier.OB.C
Objective Z scanner series (Carrier.OB.C): M25 x 0.75 objective mount, flexure-guided piezo stack with capacitive closed-loop sensor and autofocus option; ordered as Carrier.OB100.C, OB200.C or OB400.C by travel.
Carrier.OB100.C
Objective Z scanner; 100 um Z travel; 1 nm closed-loop resolution; 250 Hz resonant frequency at 150 g load; M25 x 0.75 objective mount.
Carrier.OB200.C
Objective Z scanner; 200 um Z travel; 3 nm closed-loop resolution; 220 Hz resonant frequency at 150 g load; M25 x 0.75 objective mount.
Carrier.OB400.C
Objective Z scanner; 400 um Z travel; 5 nm closed-loop resolution; 165 Hz resonant frequency at 150 g load; M25 x 0.75 objective mount.
Before you specify
Engineering context for choosing this class of component, with the tradeoffs worked through on real specifications.
NanopositioningDecide what to move — sample, objective or both — then turn field of view, stack depth, settling and synchronisation into stage specifications. Comparison tables, an acquisition-time calculator, three configurations and a purchasing checklist on documented objective scanners, clear-aperture XYZ stages and controllers.
Open guide
NanopositioningWhy an open-loop piezo is wrong by 15 % of its travel, how creep grows with the logarithm of hold time, what strain-gauge and capacitive feedback actually fix — and the bandwidth and sensor noise a servo costs you in return.
Open guide
NanopositioningPiezo ceramic strains by one part in a thousand, so a 20 mm stack gives 20 µm. Every stage architecture is a different way around that limit — and each one wins a different experiment.
Open guide