The design of a sectional piezoactuator is described, and the principle of operation of a tunnel junction digital stabilization system is given. The total settling time of the system while the least significant section is in operation is 1 &mgr;s at 0.01‐nm resolution (in theZdirection). The application of the sectional piezoactuator permitted an increase in operating frequency and also eliminated errors caused by the piezoceramics hysteresis. Introduction of a fast‐acting ALU as a digital accumulator of regulation errors made it possible to achieve high stability of the loop operation at high operating frequencies. The system suggested can adapt the speed of the loop operation depending on the relief steepness values. The blunting of the tip and sample destruction is avoided because there is a mechanism of smooth approach of the tip to the nominal scanning height.