Abstract: A high bandwidth rotary fast tool servo provides tool motion in a direction nominally parallel to the surface-normal of a workpiece at the point of contact between the cutting tool and workpiece. Three or more flexure blades having all ends fixed are used to form an axis of rotation for a swing arm that carries a cutting tool at a set radius from the axis of rotation. An actuator rotates a swing arm assembly such that a cutting tool is moved in and away from the lathe-mounted, rotating workpiece in a rapid and controlled manner in order to machine the workpiece. A pair of position sensors provides rotation and position information for a swing arm to a control system. A control system commands and coordinates motion of the fast tool servo with the motion of a spindle, rotating table, cross-feed slide, and in-feed slide of a precision lathe.

Abstract: A microcontact printing tool having a print unit including a stamp head with a stamp and a wafer chuck for retaining a substrate. The stamp contained by the stamped head movable relative to the substrate by an actuator and a stage. A plurality of sensors detect the position of the stamp relative to substrate. A method of using the printing tool that includes a real-time feedback for consistent and accurate application of force during the printing of the substrate. The stamp head includes a pressure chamber carrying the stamp. The stamp backing is deflected prior to contact of the stamp with the substrate to form a minimum point and the stamp backing and the stamp is returned to a plane to create a printing propagation contact. An apparatus and method of producing the stamp on a stamp backing. The apparatus has a master backing and a stamping backing in close proximity and the stamp material drawn in through a vacuum. The stamp is separated from the master by use of a parting fluid.

Abstract: A high bandwidth rotary fast tool servo provides tool motion in a direction nominally parallel to the surface-normal of a workpiece at the point of contact between the cutting tool and workpiece. Three or more flexure blades having all ends fixed are used to form an axis of rotation for a swing arm that carries a cutting tool at a set radius from the axis of rotation. An actuator rotates a swing arm assembly such that a cutting tool is moved in and away from the lathe-mounted, rotating workpiece in a rapid and controlled manner in order to machine the workpiece. A pair of position sensors provides rotation and position information for a swing arm to a control system. A control system commands and coordinates motion of the fast tool servo with the motion of a spindle, rotating table, cross-feed slide, and in-feed slide of a precision lathe.

Abstract: A microcontact printing tool having a print unit including a stamp head with a stamp and a wafer chuck for retaining a substrate. The stamp contained by the stamped head movable relative to the substrate by an actuator and a stage. A plurality of sensors detect the position of the stamp relative to substrate. A method of using the printing tool that includes a real-time feedback for consistent and accurate application of force during the printing of the substrate. The stamp head includes a pressure chamber carrying the stamp. The stamp backing is deflected prior to contact of the stamp with the substrate to form a minimum point and the stamp backing and the stamp is returned to a plane to create a printing propagation contact. An apparatus and method of producing the stamp on a stamp backing. The apparatus has a master backing and a stamping backing in close proximity and the stamp material drawn in through a vacuum. The stamp is separated from the master by use of a parting fluid.

Abstract: Method and apparatus are provided for selectively tailoring electromagnetic fields, and in particular for providing rapidly vanishing magnetic far-fields for magnet arrays, coils and the like. The method involves selectively combining magnetic, coil or other arrays having fields that vanish as 1/rl to achieve and array having a selectively increase l value. Various techniques for achieving such combinations in one, two or three dimensions, and the arrays resulting from such combination are disclosed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for cooling a current carrying coil and a specialized coil is provided for use in such method and apparatus. The coil has openings formed therein between at least selected internal wires of the coil in at least one non-working region along the coil. Such openings may for example extend through the coil in a direction substantially perpendicular to the plane of the coil or substantially parallel to such plane. A heat sink is provided in each such opening which heat sink may be a fluid in the opening, which fluid is preferably flowing through the opening. The fluid may be a gas such as air or a liquid such as oil or water. Alternatively, the heat sink may be a comb formed of a material having good heat conduction characteristics, which comb has a plurality of fingers which pass through corresponding openings in a region of a coil and a backbone or block through which heat may be removed from the fingers.

Abstract: A precision high speed turning machine apparatus is provided which performs a selected operation, such as shaping, polishing or probing/measuring on a workpiece and in particular on a rotationally non-symmetric workpiece. The workpiece is mounted to a workpiece mount which rotates the workpiece at a controlled rate, and a tool is provided which is adapted to perform the selected operation. The tool is supported on a tool mount which positions the tool adjacent a portion of a workpiece surface to be operated on. The tool mount is designed to have very low inertia which permits relatively large movements, of the tool generally perpendicular to the workpiece, at high enough accelerations so as to permit high speed rotation of the workpiece. For some embodiments, more than one tool is mounted to the arm so as to permit a plurality of different operations to be performed.

Abstract: An actuator made up of a plurality of actuator elements is provided which actuator provides long travel in one dimension and short travel in five additional dimensions, with each actuator element providing long travel in the one dimension and short travel in at least two additional dimensions. For preferred embodiments, each actuator element includes a suspension core, the long travel being in one linear dimension and each actuator element providing short travel in two additional linear dimensions and at least one rotary dimension.

Abstract: A magnetic positioner is provided which is capable of providing long travel in two dimension and short travel in the remaining four dimensions. The positioner has a movable stage and a stator oriented adjacent and substantially parallel to this stage. At least three sets of first magnetic elements, which for preferred embodiments are winding sets capable of generating forces in two directions, are on the portion of the stator adjacent to the stage at any given time, and at least two second magnetic elements, which are magnet arrays for the preferred embodiment, are on the stage adjacent to the stator. At least one of the second magnetic elements overlaps multiple first magnetic elements for all positions of the stage relative to the stator, with one magnet overlapping multiple windings for one preferred embodiment of the invention and two magnets on the stage overlapping multiple windings on the stator for a second embodiment.

Abstract: A precision positioning system is provided which provides long travel in two of the linear dimensions, while using non-contact bearings for both a first subassembly which provides long travel in one of the linear dimension and a second subassembly which provides long travel in the second linear dimension. The first or upper subassembly is preferably a magnetic subassembly which, in addition to providing long travel, also compensates or positions in three rotary dimensions and in the third linear dimension. The second subassembly is preferably either an air bearing or magnetic subassembly and is normally used only to provide long travel. Angled surfaces may be provided for magnetic bearings and capacitive or other gap sensing probes may be mounted to the stage and ground flush with the bearing actuators to provide more precise gap measurements.

Abstract: Electromagnet arrays which can provide selected field patterns in either two or three dimensions, and in particular, which can provide single-sided field patterns in two or three dimensions. These features are achieved by providing arrays which have current densities that vary in the windings both parallel to the array and in the direction of array thickness.

Abstract: A magnetic bearing is provided which may be utilized in a fine position control or movement system. Stability is enhanced by providing separate mechanisms for supporting the weight of a platen or other object being controlled with electromagnets utilized to control or compensate for motion of the platen in N degrees of freedom. The support mechanism is preferably one or more permanent magnets having an air gap with the platen which is greater than the air gap for the electromagnets. The mechanisms for supporting the weight of the platen may be made adjustable so as to support the weight of the platen regardless of any changes in such weight by, for example, adjusting the air gap for the permanent magnet to compensate for weight changes. Resonant vibration is reduced by constructing the platen of a hollowed, cellular structure, for example, a honeycomb structure.

Abstract: A device for controlling the relative position between a movable platen and a stator, with linear motions, for example in the 200 to 300 mm range, being provided in one or two of the degrees of freedom and precision control in the 10 nm range being provided in six degrees of freedom. Linear motion is provided by adjacent pairs of magnetic arrays and coil arrays, with the magnetic array of each pair preferably being mounted to the platen and the coil array to the stator. Both arrays have smooth mating surfaces spaced by a predetermined gap. Adjacent magnets of each magnetic array are oppositely poled and each coil array has multiple phases, the pitches of the two adjacent arrays preferably being substantially equal. The weight of the platen may be supported by the magnetic and coil arrays or separate magnets may be provided for this purpose.

Abstract: A magnetic bearing is provided which may be utilized in a fine position control or movement system. Stability is enhanced by providing separate mechanisms for supporting the weight of a platen or other object being controlled with electromagnets utilized to control or compensate for motion of the platen in N degrees of freedom. The support mechanism is preferably one or more permanent magnets having an air gap with the platen which is greater than the air gap for the electromagnets. The mechanisms for supporting the weight of the platen may be made adjustable so as to support the weight of the platen regardless of any changes in such weight by, for example, adjusting the air gap for the permanent magnet to compensate for weight changes. Resonant vibration is reduced by constructing the platen of a hollowed, cellular structure, for example, a honeycomb structure.

Abstract: An inner short-term pressure sensitive feedback loop is combined with an outer long-term volumetric delivery feedback loop to supply a substantially constant volumetric flow of mixed fluids to a load. The invention has particular utility in the controlled delivery of solvents for liquid chromatography.