WO1997004475A1 - Xy displacement device - Google Patents
Xy displacement device Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- WO1997004475A1 WO1997004475A1 PCT/NL1996/000285 NL9600285W WO9704475A1 WO 1997004475 A1 WO1997004475 A1 WO 1997004475A1 NL 9600285 W NL9600285 W NL 9600285W WO 9704475 A1 WO9704475 A1 WO 9704475A1
- Authority
- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- reference frame
- displacement
- object mount
- displacement device
- manipulator
- Prior art date
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Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B82—NANOTECHNOLOGY
- B82Y—SPECIFIC USES OR APPLICATIONS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MEASUREMENT OR ANALYSIS OF NANOSTRUCTURES; MANUFACTURE OR TREATMENT OF NANOSTRUCTURES
- B82Y15/00—Nanotechnology for interacting, sensing or actuating, e.g. quantum dots as markers in protein assays or molecular motors
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
- H01J37/00—Discharge tubes with provision for introducing objects or material to be exposed to the discharge, e.g. for the purpose of examination or processing thereof
- H01J37/02—Details
- H01J37/20—Means for supporting or positioning the objects or the material; Means for adjusting diaphragms or lenses associated with the support
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L21/00—Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
- H01L21/67—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere
- H01L21/68—Apparatus specially adapted for handling semiconductor or electric solid state devices during manufacture or treatment thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or electric solid state devices or components ; Apparatus not specifically provided for elsewhere for positioning, orientation or alignment
Definitions
- SPM Scanning Probe Microscope
- STM Scanning Tunneling Microscope
- An STM is a device, well-known in the art, for forming an image of the structure of the surface of an object. A probe with a sharp tip is brought to a point at a short distance from the surface under examination, and between that probe and that surface a potential difference is applied.
- the so-called tunnel current and the strength of this tunnel current is a measure for the distance between the probe and the surface, which can also be regarded as an indication of the Z-position of the surface at the location of the probe, to be designated as z(x,y) .
- the probe is caused to make a scanning movement over the surface. Since the operation of an STM as such does not constitute a subject of the present invention, and knowledge thereof is not required for a skilled person to properly understand the present invention, this will not be further descibed.
- the scanning movement mentioned is generally effected by displacing the object under examination in the X-direction and the Y-direction relative to the probe or, conversely, by displacing the probe in the X-direction and in the Y-direction relative to the object under examination. It will be clear that to obtain an accurate and faithful image of the surface structures to be examined, it is desired that such displacement is particularly accurate. This is especially the case if the SPM is used for making structures of dimensions in the nanometer range.
- Known XY displacement devices suffer from one or more disadvantages.
- XY displacement devices An important disadvantage of known XY displacement devices is that the X-displacement and the Y-displacement are not independent of each other.
- an object mount is mounted on a subframe for displacement in the Y-direction, and that subframe is mounted on a main frame for displacement in the X-direction.
- a consequence thereof is that upon displacement of the subframe in the X-direction, it is virtually unavoidable that a parasitic displacement of the object mount in the Y-direction will occur.
- a further consequence of the above-mentioned known construction is that undesired displacements can occur as a result of temperature variations, while moreover the temperature characteristic in the Y-direction differs from the temperature characteristic in the X-direction.
- a piezoelectric actuator has as a property that a length dimension varies depending on an electrical voltage applied to the actuator; such applied voltage is therefore typically used as a measure for the instantaneous XY position of the object.
- Piezoelectric actuators have a few properties which adversely affect the positional accuracy of the object to be examined.
- adverse properties are, for instance, hysteresis, non-linearity, drift, creep, ageing, temperature dependence.
- a complicating factor here is that the hysteresis is dependent inter alia on the magnitude of the range to be scanned, so that it is particularly difficult, if not impossible, to calibrate a piezoelectric actuator.
- the properties mentioned give rise to geometric deformations of the images obtained, which deformations in turn are position- dependent, with the positional errors that occur possibly running up to 20% of the scanning range.
- the piezoelectric actuator is controlled with a non-linear driving voltage, the non ⁇ linear character of the driving voltage having been chosen with a view to compensating the non-linear behaviour of the piezoelectric actuator.
- This approach cannot lead to accurate results because the non-linear behaviour of the piezoelectric actuator is dependent on the scanning range and is changeable as a result of, for instance, ageing, temperature influences and depolarisation effects.
- the images obtained are corrected afterwards through application of image processing techniques.
- the application of such techniques is typically based on the presumed presence of particular periodic structures on the surface of the object, that is, a particular expectation of the investigator. The danger is then present that particular non-linear effects with a fairly large characteristic length are filtered out of the image. If the surface has no periodic features at all, image reconstruction is very difficult, if not impossible.
- the invention contemplates the provision of an XY displacement device where the difficulties mentioned do not occur.
- an XY displacement device has the features as described in claim l.
- Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a preferred embodiment of an XY displacement device according to the invention
- Fig. 2 diagrammatically illustrates the principle of the suspension of the object mount in the reference frame
- Fig. 3 is a cross section of an STM which includes the XY displacement device represented in Fig. 1;
- Fig. 4 shows a block diagram illustrating the data processing with an XY displacement device according to the invention.
- Fig. l shows a top plan view of an XY displacement device 1 according to the present invention.
- the X-direction is represented horizontally and the Y-direction vertically.
- the embodiment of the XY displacement device 1 as shown is intended for use in an SPM to have a probe make a scanning movement along a fixedly arranged specimen whose surface is to be examined. It will be clear, however, that it is also possible to use the XY displacement device 1, optionally after a few modifications, to have the specimen under examination make a scanning movement along a fixedly arranged probe.
- the probe to be displaced, or the specimen to be displaced will be designated by the term "object”.
- Reference numeral 10 designates a reference frame, which is intended to be fixedly attached to, for instance, an apparatus frame or the fixed environment, for which purpose fixing holes 11 can be used.
- an object mount 20 is present, which is displaceable.
- the object mount 20 is intended for attaching thereto the object to be displaced (probe) and to that end is provided with fixing holes 21.
- the reference frame 10 is further intended for attaching thereto a support means for a specimen or a specimen mount, as will be described in more detail hereinbelow, in such a manner that a specimen can be retained centrally with respect to the reference frame 10, opposite the probe fastened to the object mount 20. It will be clear that displacement of the object mount 20 with respect to the reference frame 10 is equivalent to displacement of a probe, attached to the object mount 20, relative to a specimen fixed with respect to the reference frame 10.
- the fixing holes 11 can also be used.
- an X-manipulator 100 is coupled between the object mount 20 and the reference frame 10.
- the X-manipulator 100 has three main functions. Firstly, the X-manipulator 100 should provide a rigid coupling between the object mount 20 and an X-actuator, such as, for instance, a piezoelectric actuator. For the sake of simplicity, such an actuator is not represented in Figs, l and 2, but the force to be exerted by the X-actuator is symbolically represented by the arrow F x .
- the object mount 20 accurately follows an X-displacement relative to the reference frame 10 as imposed by the X-actuator.
- the X-manipulator 100 should allow a Y-displacement of the object mount 20 relative to the reference frame 10, on the one hand without this generating a (parasitic) X-displacement of the object mount 20 relative to the reference frame 10, and, on the other hand, without a transverse force being exerted on the X-actuator.
- the X-manipulator 100 should should provide a rigid coupling between the object mount 20 and the reference frame 10 in the Z-direction (that is, perpendicular to the X- and Y-directions) in order to prevent a Z-displacement of the object mount 20 relative to the reference frame 10
- the X-manipulator 100 is constructed as a two-stage suspension for the object mount 20.
- the X-manipulator 100 comprises an actuator input part 110 which is intended to be coupled to an X-actuator; a first coupling part 120 for coupling the actuator input part 110 to the reference frame 10, and a second coupling part 130 for coupling the actuator input part 110 to the object mount 20.
- the actuator input part 110 has a substantially rectangular shape, whose Y-dimension substantially corresponds with the Y-dimension of the object mount 20.
- a piezoelectric actuator not shown in this figure for clarity, will act on the actuator input part 110, as designated by the arrow F x , which piezoelectric actuator on the other side thereof is coupled with the reference frame 10, as will be clear to a skilled person.
- an X-dimension of that actuator will change, and hence the X-distance between the actuator input part 110 and the reference frame 10, which amounts to the imposition of an X- isplacement relative to the reference frame 10 on the actuator input part 110.
- the first coupling part 120 of the X-manipulator 100 is designed to retain the actuator input part no with respect to the reference frame 10, in such a manner that the actuator input part 110 is displaceable in the X-direction and thus can follow a displacement imposed by the piezoelectric actuator, while further this actuator input part 110 is substantially fixed in the Y-direction, and preferably also in the Z-direction.
- the first coupling part 120 comprises a first bar-shaped member 121 which, with its longitudinal direction parallel to the Y-direction, extends from the actuator input part 110 to a first attachment point 12 of the reference frame 10.
- the first coupling part 120 further comprises a second bar-shaped member 122, which extends in line with the first bar-shaped member 121, from the actuator input part 110 to a second attachment point 13 of the reference frame 10, the second bar-shaped member 122 being preferably as long as the first bar-shaped member 121.
- the bar-shaped members 121 and 122 will counteract any Y-displacement of the actuator input part 110, because such a displacement will generate in those bar-shaped members 121 and 122 a tensile stress and a compression stress, respectively.
- the two bar-shaped members 121 and 122 have an X-dimension (width) which is sufficiently smaller than their Y-dimension (length) , so that those bar-shaped members 121 and 122 are relatively slack in the X-direction and behave more or less as a leaf spring. Accordingly, they do not resist displacement of the actuator input part 110 in the X-direction. As a result of such an X-displacement of the actuator input part 110, those bar-shaped members 121 and 122 will bend slightly and a tensile stress will be generated in those bar-shaped members 121 and 122.
- the second coupling part 130 of the X-manipulator 100 is designed to transmit an X-displacement, if any, of the actuator input part 110 to the object mount 20.
- the second coupling part 130 comprises a third bar-shaped member 131 which, with its longitudinal direction parallel to the X-direction, extends between the actuator input part 110 and the object mount 20, so that this third bar-shaped member 131 counteracts an X-displacement of the object mount 20 with respect to the actuator input part 110.
- This third bar-shaped member 131 like the first and second bar- shaped members 121 and 122, has a width (Y-dimension) much smaller than its length (X-dimension) , so that this third bar- shaped member 131 is relatively slack in the Y-direction and behaves as a leaf spring.
- the third bar-shaped member 131 allows a Y-displacement of the object mount 20 relative to the actuator input part 110, while the resultant reaction force in the Y-direction exerted on the actuator input part 110 is relatively small.
- the object mount 20 For fixing the object mount 20 in the Z-direction, separate means can be present. According to the invention, however, this effect can already be accomplished by choosing a suitable configuration for the bar-shaped members 121, 122, 131. If the Z-dimension of the third bar-shaped member 131 is selected to be sufficiently greater than the Y-dimension thereof, and preferably is substantially as great as the X-dimension thereof, the third bar-shaped member 131 is relatively stiff in the Z-direction and counteracts a Z-displacement of the object mount 20 relative to the actuator input part 110.
- the Z-dimension of the first and second bar-shaped members 121 and 122 is selected to be sufficiently greater than their Y-dimension, and is preferably substantially as great as their X-dimension, the first and second bar-shaped members 121 and 122 are relatively stiff in the Z-direction and counteract a Z-displacement of the actuator input part 110 relative to the reference frame 10.
- the third bar-shaped member 131 is preferably arranged next to an axis of symmetry of the device 1 extending in the X-direction, and on the other side of that axis of symmetry 2 a fourth bar-shaped member 132 is arranged, substantially identical to and parallel to the third bar-shaped member 131, as illustrated in Fig. 1. If in some manner or other a Y-displacement of the object mount 20 occurs, the third bar-shaped member 131 will bend.
- the object mount 20 is preferably coupled via a complementary X- manipulator 100' with the reference frame 10.
- the complementary X-manipulator 100' is arranged mirror- symmetrically with respect to the X-manipulator 100, is located on the side of the object mount 20 remote from the X- manipulator 100, and can be identical in construction to the X-manipulator 100.
- the parts of the complementary X-manipulator 100' are designated with the same reference numerals as the corresponding parts of the X- manipulator 100, but primed.
- the complementary X-manipulator 100' corresponds with that of the X-manipulator 100, that operation will not be separately discussed.
- a resilient member such as a compression spring to press the section consisting of the means 110', 20 and 110 against the piezoelectric actuator under a bias, which improves the stiffness in the X-direction.
- a compression spring is not shown in the drawing; only the biassing force exerted by it is symbolically represented by the arrow F ⁇ - b i a s-
- a Y-manipulator 200 Further coupled between the object mount 20 and the reference frame 10 is a Y-manipulator 200, which also has three main functions, which mutatis mutandis are equal to those of the X-manipulator 100.
- the Y-manipulator 200 should provide a rigid coupling between the object mount 20 and a Y-actuator; the force to be exerted by the Y-actuator is symbolically represented by the arrow F y .
- the object mount 20 accurately follows a Y-displacement relative to the reference frame 10 as imposed by the Y-actuator.
- the Y-manipulator 200 should allow an X-displacement of the object mount 20 relative to the reference frame 10, on the one hand without this generating a (parasitic) Y-displacement of the object mount 20 relative to the reference frame 10 and, on the other hand, without a transverse force being exerted on the Y-actuator.
- the Y-manipulator 200 should provide a rigid coupling between the object mount 20 and the reference frame 10 in the Z-direction in order to prevent a Z- displacement of the object mount 20 relative to the reference frame 10 (perpendicular to the plane of the paper) , again without a transverse force being exerted on the Y-actuator.
- the Y-manipulator 200 represented in Fig. 1 is identical to the X-manipulator 100 already discussed, with the understanding that the orientation thereof is rotated 90° relative to the orientation of the X-manipulator 100.
- the parts of the Y-manipulator 200 are provided with a reference numeral higher by 100 than the reference numerals of the corresponding parts of the X-manipulator 100.
- a separate discussion of the operation of the Y-manipulator 200 is omitted here, because that operation will be clear to a skilled person after reading the above discussion of the operation of the X-manipulator 100.
- a complementary Y-manipulator 200' whose operation and parts correspond with those of the complementary X-manipulator 100' . It is noted that the first coupling part 220 of the Y-manipulator 200 can be connected to the same points of connection 13 and 13' of the reference frame 10, as illustrated, or with separate attachment points. A comparable remark applies to the complementary Y-manipulator 200'.
- the invention already provides an improvement over existing XY displacement devices, in particular because of the symmetry. It is readily seen that a change in temperature of the whole can give rise to a change in the mechanical stress prevailing in the reference frame 10 and the manipulators, but that, owing to the symmetrical construction, this does not induce any displacement of the object mount 20 relative to the axis of symmetry in the Z-direction. Further, it will be clear that with such a construction as described, the X- and Y-displacements of the object mount 20 are substantially mutually uncoupled.
- the invention provides a further improvement over the state of the art, in that measuring means are provided for measuring at the object mount 20 the actual displacement thereof. With reference to Fig. 3, a preferred embodiment of such measuring means will be discussed.
- Fig. 3 shows a schematic cross section, taken along the line of symmetry 2, of the device 1 illustrated in Fig. l, in a ready-for-use condition, that is, provided with a piezoelectric actuator 140, a biassing spring 150, a probe 22, and a specimen mount 31.
- the piezoelectric actuator 140 is arranged outside the reference frame 10. Via a throughbore 145 in the reference frame 10 a first end 141 of the piezoelectric actuator 140 is coupled with the actuator input part 110; the other end 142 of the piezoelectric actuator 140 is immovably connected to the reference frame 10 via an arcuate support member 143. Lead wires for the piezoelectric actuator 140 are designated by 146 and 147.
- the biassing spring 150 is comparably mounted outside the reference frame 10 through an arcuate support member 143' .
- the specimen mount 31 is fastened to a supporting plate 30, which in turn is immovably connected to the reference frame 10, for instance by means of screws, which is not shown in the figure for the sake of simplicity.
- the probe 22 which can have a construction known per se, is mounted in the object mount 20, and reaches through an opening 32 in the supporting plate 30, up to a point in the vicinity of a specimen (not shown) to be mounted in the specimen mount 31.
- the probe 22 is provided with means 23 for displacing the probe 22 in the Z-direction, which means 23 can likewise have a construction which is known per se.
- X-measuring means 300 for providing a measuring signal which is indicative of the X-position of the object mount 20 with respect to the reference frame 10.
- those X-measuring means 300 comprise capacitive measuring sensors 310, 310'.
- the measuring sensor 310 comprises a reference measuring electrode 311 fixedly mounted with respect to the reference frame 10, and an object measuring electrode 312 which is fixedly mounted to the object mount 20.
- the reference measuring electrode 311 is fastened to the supporting plate 30 for the specimen mount 31 via an electrode support 313.
- the two measuring electrodes 311 and 312 - the size of the distance between them is exaggerated for the purpose of clarity in the representation of Fig. 3 - each have substantially the shape of an insulating flat plate on which conducting structures are arranged, and they are spaced apart a short distance, parallel to each other, so that between them a capacity C is defined.
- the two measuring electrodes 311 and 312 are provided with lead wires, not shown for the sake of simplicity, for connection to a measuring apparatus, likewise not shown for the sake of simplicity, so that the capacity C can be measured.
- a capacity C is inversely proportional to the distance between the plate electrodes 311 and 312, so that the measured capacity C can be regarded as a measuring signal that is representative of that distance and hence for the X-position of the object mount 20 with respect to the reference frame 10. Since the manner in which the capacity C is measured does not constitute a subject of the present invention, and knowledge thereof is not required for a skilled person to properly understand the present invention, and use can be made of measuring apparatus known and available for this purpose, the capacity measurement will not be further described. Suffice it to note that here a measuring signal (for instance a frequency or a time) can be obtained which, without requiring that the capacity be actually calculated therefrom, is already representative as such of the X-position of the object mount 20 with respect to the reference frame 10.
- a measuring signal for instance a
- the measuring sensor 310 is preferably arranged in the space 133 between the bar-shaped members 131 and 132 of the second coupling part 130.
- the capacity to be measured depends not only on the relative distance between the plate electrodes 311 and 312, but also on factors of the environment, such as the dielectric constant of the medium (for instance, air) , if any is present, between the plate electodes 311 and 312.
- the relative distance between the plate electrodes 311 and 312, and hence the capacity to be measured can change if parts of the device 1 change in shape, for instance if the object mount 20 expands or shrinks as a result of temperature changes, even if in the process the object 22 retained by the object mount 20 does not change position.
- the factors mentioned can therefore be regarded as a source of inaccuracies.
- two measuring sensors 310, 310' of the type mentioned are arranged on opposite sides of the object mount 20.
- the electrode distance of the first measuring sensor 310 will increase and so the measuring signal Cl provided by it will become smaller, while the electrode distance of the second measuring sensor 310' will become smaller and hence the measuring signal C2 provided by it will become larger.
- both measuring signals will change to an equal extent.
- the difference signal C1-C2 is representative to an improved extent of the X-position of the object mount 20.
- An additional advantage of the use of the difference signal C1-C2 as the signal representing the X-position of the object mount 20 is related to the fact that the nominal capacity of the measuring sensors (order of magnitude pF) is much greater than the required resolution in the capacity changes (order of magnitude aF) .
- the nominal value of the difference signal C1-C2 is zero, at least smaller than the expectable changes in the difference signal C1-C2.
- the electrode plates 311 and 312 are not exactly parallel to each other.
- one of the electrode plates 311, 312 can be divided into four segments, so that the measuring sensor 310 in fact comprises four measuring capacities yielding four partial capacity signals cl, c2, c3, c4, the sum signal cl+c2+c3+c4 corresponding with the above-mentioned measuring signal C.
- the measuring sensor 310 in fact comprises four measuring capacities yielding four partial capacity signals cl, c2, c3, c4, the sum signal cl+c2+c3+c4 corresponding with the above-mentioned measuring signal C.
- the four partial capacity signals cl, c2, c3, c4 it is possible to set the electrode plates parallel to each other. As a result, it is possible to determine the displacement of the object mount 20 relative to the reference frame 10.
- the XY-displacement device 1 further comprises
- Y-measuring means 400 for supplying a measuring signal that is representative of the Y-position of the object mount 20 with respect to the reference frame 10.
- These Y-measuring means 400 are preferably identical to the above-discussed X-measuring means 300, with the understanding that they have been displaced 90° with respect to the X-measuring means 300, as will be clear to a skilled person. For this reason, the Y-measuring means 400 will not be discussed separately, nor are they separately illustrated in Fig. 3.
- the SPM 500 comprises an actuator driving unit 510 for supplying control signals a x and a y for the X- and Y-actuators 140 and 240.
- the SPM 500 further comprises a first data processing device 520 for receiving and processing the measuring signals C x and C y supplied by the X- and Y-measuring means 300 and 400.
- the SPM 500 further comprises a second data processing device 530 for receiving and processing the information received by means of the probe 22.
- the invention provides two different ways in which the measuring signals C x and C y provided by the X- and Y-measuring means 300 and 400 can be utilized during the performance of a displacement of the object 22 retained by the object mount 20. These two ways will be explained in the following, where the target X- and Y-positions (coordinates) will be designated as X T and y T , respectively, and the real X- and Y-positions will be designated as X R and y & , respectively.
- Those real X- and Y-positions are calculated (or at least approximated) with the aid of the measuring signals C x and C y , supplied by the X- and Y-measuring means 300 and 400, and not, as is conventionally customary, on the basis of control signals a x and a y .
- the X- and Y-actuators 140 and 240 are driven in a conventional manner for the displacement of the object mount 20 to different target positions (x ⁇ , y T ) •
- the actuator driving unit 510 has information about the characteristic of the X- and Y-actuators 140 and 240, and calculates, on the basis of that information, control signals a x (x ⁇ ) and a y (y ⁇ ) as a function of the intended X- and Y-coordinates X T and y ⁇ .
- the second data processing device 530 of the SPM 500 receives a measuring signal from the probe 22, which will be designated with the letter ⁇ . That measuring signal ⁇ can for instance involve a Z-coordinate of the surface to be examined.
- the real X- and Y-coordinates x R en y R calculated on the basis of the measuring signals C x and C y supplied by the X- and Y-measuring means 300 and 400 are supplied to the second data processing device 530, as indicated with the signal path 540 1 , and the second data processing device 530 processes the measuring signal ⁇ as belonging to the real position (x R , y ) .
- This first method has the advantage that no changes are necessary for an existing control device.
- a second method according to the present invention is suitable in particular for applications where it is desired for the real position to be equal to the intended position.
- An example of such an application is a contour measurement where it is desired to obtain the measuring signals ⁇ at specific, priorly known X- and Y-coordinates X T and y T -
- Another example of such an application is a machining technique for fabricating a structure in or on the specimen surface.
- the object mount 20 is displaced each time in such a manner that the real position (x R , y R ) is equal to the target position (X T , yr) •
- the actuator driving unit 510 is provided, via a feedback loop, with information representative of the real position (x R , y R ) , as indicated with the signal path 540 11 , and the actuator driving unit 510 adjusts the control signals a x and a y to reduce the differences x R -x ⁇ and y -y ⁇ to substantially zero.
- the actuator driving unit 510 receives information that is representative of those differences x R -x ⁇ and y R -y which information can take three values, viz. "too large”, “too small", and "within a pre-set tolerance".
- a control variant it is desired to displace the object mount 20 linearly, for instance in the X- direction, that is, while keeping the Y-coordinate constant. Then the displacement in the X-direction is performed in accordance with either of the two above-discussed methods, while the Y-coordinate is kept equal to an initial Y-coordinate by controlling the Y- actuator 240 such that the measuring signal C y representing the Y-coordinate remains constant. It is then not necessary to calculate the real Y-coordinate each time.
- Such a control variant occurs, for instance, when scanning a surface with an SPM according to a back and forth movement.
- the XY-displacement device 1 In principle, it is possible to build up the XY-displacement device 1 from loose parts, which are then joined together, for instance by gluing or welding. This involves a disadvantage, however, in that non-symmetrical stresses can thereby be introduced into the device 1, whose magnitude, direction and distribution characteristic are unknown. In view of the desired accuracy, it is therefore preferred to manufacture the XY-displacement device 1 as an integrated whole, by making suitable recesses in a massive workpiece, for instance through spark machining or laser cutting. An embodiment which has been found suitable is manufactured starting from a rectangular block of stainless steel of a thickness (Z-dimension) of 2 cm, a length (X-dimension) of 11 cm, and a width (Y-dimension) of 11 cm.
- the X- and Y- external dimensions of the object mount 20 were both 2 cm.
- the lengths of the bar-shaped members were all 15 mm, while the thicknesses thereof were all 2 mm, with mutual distances of 16 mm.
- the actuator input parts were rectangular, as shown in Fig. l, with dimensions of 20x10x20 mmxmmxmm.
- the bar-shaped members of the first coupling means 120, 120', 220, 220' have a different length than the bar-shaped members of the second coupling means 130, 130', 230, 230'. It is also possible that the number of bar-shaped members of the second coupling means 130, 130', 230, 230' is greater than two. It is also possible that the first coupling means 120, 120', 220, 220' comprise several, preferably parallel, bar-shaped members. It is also possible that the first coupling means 120, 120", 220, 220' comprise bar-shaped members directed in the Z-direction.
- the two data processing devices 520 and 530 can be formed by several cooperating modules or be integrated into a single device, or the first data processing device 520 and the actuator driving unit 510 can be integrated into a single device, or the two data processing devices 520 and 530 together with the actuator driving device 510 can be integrated into a single device.
- the resilient means 150 can be replaced by a piezoelectric actuator.
- the two oppositely mounted actuators are driven in combination: a "basic" signal for both actuators defines the bias, while a displacement is effected by presenting to one actuator a greater and to the other a smaller voltage.
- a "push/pull stage” Such a configuration is referred to by the term "push/pull stage" .
Abstract
Description
Claims
Priority Applications (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
EP96924201A EP0871974A1 (en) | 1995-07-14 | 1996-07-12 | Xy displacement device |
AU64721/96A AU6472196A (en) | 1995-07-14 | 1996-07-12 | Xy displacement device |
JP9506559A JPH11509324A (en) | 1995-07-14 | 1996-07-12 | XY displacement device |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
NL1000815 | 1995-07-14 | ||
NL1000815A NL1000815C2 (en) | 1995-07-14 | 1995-07-14 | XY displacement device. |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
WO1997004475A1 true WO1997004475A1 (en) | 1997-02-06 |
Family
ID=19761322
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
PCT/NL1996/000285 WO1997004475A1 (en) | 1995-07-14 | 1996-07-12 | Xy displacement device |
Country Status (5)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP0871974A1 (en) |
JP (1) | JPH11509324A (en) |
AU (1) | AU6472196A (en) |
NL (1) | NL1000815C2 (en) |
WO (1) | WO1997004475A1 (en) |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US6679130B2 (en) * | 2000-05-26 | 2004-01-20 | Symyx Technologies, Inc. | Instrument for high throughput measurement of material physical properties of a plurality of samples |
JP2016039184A (en) * | 2014-08-05 | 2016-03-22 | 日本精工株式会社 | Table device, measuring apparatus, semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, flat panel display manufacturing apparatus, and machine tool |
Citations (4)
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EP0183125A2 (en) * | 1984-11-19 | 1986-06-04 | International Business Machines Corporation | Positioning system |
EP0327949A2 (en) * | 1988-02-08 | 1989-08-16 | Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba | Alignment stage device |
US5051594A (en) * | 1988-02-29 | 1991-09-24 | Japan Ministry Of International Trade And Industry | Fine positioning device, as for the stage of a scanning tunneling microscope |
JPH04179043A (en) * | 1990-11-13 | 1992-06-25 | Matsushita Electric Ind Co Ltd | Positioning device |
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1995
- 1995-07-14 NL NL1000815A patent/NL1000815C2/en not_active IP Right Cessation
-
1996
- 1996-07-12 WO PCT/NL1996/000285 patent/WO1997004475A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 1996-07-12 JP JP9506559A patent/JPH11509324A/en active Pending
- 1996-07-12 AU AU64721/96A patent/AU6472196A/en not_active Abandoned
- 1996-07-12 EP EP96924201A patent/EP0871974A1/en not_active Ceased
Patent Citations (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
EP0183125A2 (en) * | 1984-11-19 | 1986-06-04 | International Business Machines Corporation | Positioning system |
EP0327949A2 (en) * | 1988-02-08 | 1989-08-16 | Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba | Alignment stage device |
US5051594A (en) * | 1988-02-29 | 1991-09-24 | Japan Ministry Of International Trade And Industry | Fine positioning device, as for the stage of a scanning tunneling microscope |
JPH04179043A (en) * | 1990-11-13 | 1992-06-25 | Matsushita Electric Ind Co Ltd | Positioning device |
Non-Patent Citations (1)
Title |
---|
PATENT ABSTRACTS OF JAPAN vol. 16, no. 488 (E - 1277) 9 October 1992 (1992-10-09) * |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US6679130B2 (en) * | 2000-05-26 | 2004-01-20 | Symyx Technologies, Inc. | Instrument for high throughput measurement of material physical properties of a plurality of samples |
JP2016039184A (en) * | 2014-08-05 | 2016-03-22 | 日本精工株式会社 | Table device, measuring apparatus, semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, flat panel display manufacturing apparatus, and machine tool |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
EP0871974A1 (en) | 1998-10-21 |
JPH11509324A (en) | 1999-08-17 |
AU6472196A (en) | 1997-02-18 |
NL1000815C2 (en) | 1997-01-15 |
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