Abstract: The present invention relates to the design and fabrication of flexures used to guide motion in mechanical systems. A high specific stiffness flexure includes two narrow and thin flexing sections separated by a longer stiffened section. The present invention provides designs and processes for making flexures and flexure systems with monolithic high specific stiffness frame or box structures for the stiffened sections that creates relatively higher self-resonant frequencies.

Abstract: A means to accurately measure the pressure distribution across a rigid or semi-rigid surface, or between two rigid or semi-rigid surfaces with high special resolution is disclosed. The present invention relates to measuring a pressure distribution. The present invention would be ideal for use in various types of manufacturing tooling and various in situ industrial machine controls. The present invention uses an array of commercial micro-machined silicon pressure sensing die attached to a substrate and encapsulated in an elastomer.

Abstract: A moving coil linear motor positioning stage with a concentric aperture is disclosed. The present invention relates to positioning an element or device such as an optic or lens. The apparatus is ideal for moving an optic coaxial with a light beam. The present invention uses a voice coil motor with a cylindrical moving coil and a cylindrical permanent magnet assembly with a radial gap. The moving coil and magnet assemblies have clear apertures concentric with the apparatus and the axis of motion. A pair of planar flexures guides the moving coil. A position-sensing device is used to sense the position of the moving coil to enable fine position control.

Abstract: A moving coil linear motor positioning stage with a concentric aperture is disclosed. The present invention relates to positioning an element or device such as an optic or lens. The apparatus is ideal for moving an optic coaxial with a light beam. The present invention uses a voice coil motor with a cylindrical moving coil and a cylindrical permanent magnet assembly with a radial gap. The moving coil and magnet assemblies have clear apertures concentric with the apparatus and the axis of motion. A pair of planar flexures guides the moving coil. A position-sensing device is used to sense the position of the moving coil to enable fine position control.

Abstract: A means to accurately measure the pressure distribution across a rigid or semi-rigid surface, or between two rigid or semi-rigid surfaces with high special resolution is disclosed. The present invention relates to measuring a pressure distribution. The present invention would be ideal for use in various types of manufacturing tooling and various in situ industrial machine controls. The present invention uses an array of commercial micro-machined silicon pressure sensing die attached to a substrate and encapsulated in an elastomer.

Abstract: A means for an servo controller to use predetermined and stored parameters of the servo components to perform tuning of the servo system is disclosed. The present invention relates to tuning, compensating, returning or recompensating a servo system given the pertinent parameters of the servo components such as the motor, the load and the feedback sensor. The method is ideal for galvanometers and servo motors when the implementation includes incorporation of a memory device into the motor to store the motor constants.

Abstract: A means for compensating a vector command to one or more galvanometers, or other beam steering device, with pointing error information about the laser source is disclosed. The apparatus is to be used in galvanometer based vector writing or raster scanning system. The present invention measures the laser beam lateral and angular pointing errors, and or any target position error information, and modifies the vector command sent to the galvanometer head with the pointing error information in order to eliminate the laser pointing error from the resultant projected laser vector. The incoming laser beam is sampled to extract two dimensions of lateral error and two dimensions of angular error. The lateral error information from the incident beam or the target is directly added to the vector. The angular information must be multiplied by the optical path length from the error measurement point to the target to derive the effective lateral displacement due to the angular error.

Abstract: An acceleration limiting electronic filter for a position motion control system is disclosed. The filter is used in conjunction with a position control system to precisely control the position of a device. The present invention limits the acceleration content of a position command signal to some value less than what the control system can execute so that the control system does not clip the acceleration and degrade control.

Abstract: A system and method for reproducing isolated images over an entire substrate, by creating multiple adjacent scanned strips of whole images using a unity magnification scanning photolithographic system.

Abstract: An apparatus for detecting and compensating for focus errors in a photolithography tool which holds a reticle and a substrate substantially parallel is described. The apparatus includes at least one proximity gauge for determining a first distance between the reticle and the substrate, thereby determining if a focus error condition exists. The apparatus also includes an actuator for adjusting the position of the reticle with respect to the substrate, thereby compensating for the focus error condition. According to another embodiment, a lens system actuator is employed for adjusting a lens system parameter, thereby compensating for the focus error condition detected by the at least one proximity gauge.

Abstract: A system and method for transferring a reticle (201) pattern to a substrate image (203) by scanning. The reticle is placed between an illumination system (118) and the projection lens (117). The substrate is located below the projection lens. A loading system, wafer adjustment system, and focusing system are also disclosed.