Abstract: The invention is in particular a supporting device for relative supporting loads with respect to a base comprising a load side part, a base side part, and an intermediate part giving support to the load side part, and thus defining a supporting direction with reference to the base and the load side, including a pressure chamber bounded by chamber walls.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for adapting a vibration isolation system as well as to an arrangement with a vibration isolation system. By constructive measures in the environment of the vibration isolation system, particularly plane-parallel surfaces areas are avoided and thereby disturbing environmental influences are reduced.

Abstract: To achieve improved frequency-response correction of a vibration-signal transmitter in a vibration isolation system, the invention proposes a method in which an analog sensor signal representing vibrations is generated through the use of a vibration-signal transmitter, this sensor signal is amplified for correcting frequency-dependent sensitivity of the vibration-signal transmitter, an actuator control signal is generated by processing the amplified sensor signal, and an actuator is controlled with the actuator control signal for counteracting the vibrations, wherein the amplification of the sensor signal includes first amplification through the use of an analog amplification stage and second amplification through the use of a digital amplification stage. The invention further proposes a correction device and also a vibration isolation system for carrying out the method.

Abstract: An apparatus is presented for monitoring the relative positions and/or for measuring and evaluating relative position in a system which contains at least two sub-systems. The apparatus has several devices, of which at least one device has a vibration-isolation device. Furthermore, at least one device is provided for determining the relative positions of the devices and one evaluation device is provided for testing whether the measured relative positions of the devices lie within a tolerance interval.

Abstract: The invention relates to a vibration isolation system, comprising at least one fluid bearing having a first control device in order to control the fluid pressure and having at least one actuator in order to compensate for position changes of the load to be isolated, which actuator is controlled by at least one second control device, wherein the input of one control device is connected to the output of the other control device.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for regulating an active vibration isolation system and to an active vibration isolation system, in particular for a vibration isolated positioning of lithography-devices, wafer-handling-systems and/or microscopes, as for instance scanning microscopes. The active vibration isolation system comprises the following components: a support body for bearing a load which is to be isolated; pneumatic vibration isolators with controllable valves for carrying the support body with respect to the ground; position sensors for providing vertical position signals of the support body; a first regulating system for vibration compensation in at least one degree of freedom in translation (Xt,Yt,Zt) and in at least one degree of freedom in rotation (Xr,Yr,Zr) and a second pneumatic regulating system for vibration compensation in at least one degree of freedom selected from three degrees of freedom (Zt,Xr,Yr) which are effective in vertical direction.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for compensating for magnetic fields which has two sensors which are active in different frequency ranges and thus allows regulation with a bandwidth from 0 to 20 kHz.

Abstract: The invention relates to a control system for active vibration isolation of a supported payload with a control device that comprises a processing unit (41) for processing position data and orientation data of all available sensors to supply a sensor control matrix, as well as for subsequent calculation of axis input signals in orthogonal degrees of freedom from the sensor signals and the sensor control matrix, a downstream control-path cascade block (42) for processing axis input signals into axis output signals in orthogonal degrees of freedom, and a downstream processing unit (43) for processing position data and orientation data of all available actuators for vibration suppression into an actuator control matrix, as well as for subsequent calculation of actuator control signals from the axis output signals and the actuator control matrix.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for controlling a vibration isolation system, and an active vibration isolation system for vibration-isolated support of lithographic devices, wafer handling systems, and/or scanning microscopes. For this purpose the following are provided: a number of vibration transducers for supplying sensor signals which are representative of vibrations; a number of actuators for vibration compensation which may be controlled by supplying actuator control signals; a control device which is designed for processing the supplied sensor signals to form the actuator control signals, wherein the vibration transducers have at least one geophone sensor as a first acceleration sensor for detecting vibrations in a first frequency range, and at least one second acceleration sensor, which is different from the first acceleration sensor, for detecting vibrations in a second frequency range which extends the first frequency range.

Abstract: The invention relates to the control and regulation of a vibration isolation system with a number of vibration signal transducers for providing analogue sensor signals and a number of actuators for suppressing vibrations by processing the sensor signals to form actuator actuation signals for driving the actuators. One object of the invention is to demonstrate a way which enables high-quality parameterizability and regulating performance over a considerably wider frequency bandwidth of a vibration isolation system to be regulated. The invention proposes digitizing some of the sensor signals provided and processing them to form digital actuator actuation signals and processing other sensor signals provided in an analogue manner to form analogue actuator actuation signals and combining the digital actuator actuation signals and the analogue actuator actuation signals to form common actuator actuation signals which are supplied to the actuators in order to drive them.

Abstract: The invention relates to a vibration isolator for use in a vacuum in which mechanical and electrical modules are arranged within a fluid-tight chamber.

Abstract: A first sensor of the device for compensating magnetic and/or electromagnetic disturbance fields in a predetermined volume range is provided beyond the predetermined volume range for producing a signal that is determined by the magnetic and/or electromagnetic field at the location of the sensor. A second sensor is provided within the predetermined volume range for producing a signal which is determined by the magnetic and/or electromagnetic field at the location of the sensor. The signals from the first and second sensors are used as an input signal for directing a regulator amplifier belonging to a Helmholtz coil. After executing an empirically determined transmission function, the signal from the second sensor is applied to the regulator input of the digital regulator amplifier and the output signal of the digital regulator amplifier controls the current through the Helmholtz coil such that the magnetic and/or electromagnetic field in the predetermined volume range is at least partially compensated.

Abstract: Control of an active vibration isolation system with a digital controller, which includes an FPGA system (5) as the control unit. The FPGA system (5) is made up of freely programmable gate arrays with a sensor control matrix (51), which calculates axis signals in required degrees of freedom, with a control cascade block (53) for the axis signals containing several biquad filters (531, 532, 533, 534, 535), and with an output signal calculation block (55) for calculating digital actuator actuation signals. A digital signal processor (9) is connected in parallel with the FPGA system (5) in order to calculate controls with low phase loss requirements.

Abstract: The invention relates to a control system for active vibration isolation of a supported payload with a control device that comprises a processing unit (41) for processing position data and orientation data of all available sensors to supply a sensor control matrix, as well as for subsequent calculation of axis input signals in orthogonal degrees of freedom from the sensor signals and the sensor control matrix, a downstream control-path cascade block (42) for processing axis input signals into axis output signals in orthogonal degrees of freedom, and a downstream processing unit (43) for processing position data and orientation data of all available actuators for vibration suppression into an actuator control matrix, as well as for subsequent calculation of actuator control signals from the axis output signals and the actuator control matrix.

Abstract: To achieve improved frequency-response correction of a vibration-signal transmitter in a vibration isolation system, the invention proposes a method in which an analog sensor signal representing vibrations is generated by means of a vibration-signal transmitter, this sensor signal is amplified for correcting frequency-dependent sensitivity of the vibration-signal transmitter, an actuator control signal is generated by processing the amplified sensor signal, and an actuator is controlled with the actuator control signal for counteracting the vibrations, wherein the amplification of the sensor signal includes first amplification by means of an analog amplification stage and second amplification by means of a digital amplification stage. The invention further proposes a correction device and also a vibration isolation system for carrying out the method.

Abstract: An apparatus is presented for monitoring the relative positions and/or for measuring and evaluating relative position in a system which contains at least two sub-systems. The apparatus has several devices (20, 30), of which at least one device (30) has a vibration-isolation device (2, 3). Furthermore, at least one device (9) is provided for determining the relative positions of the devices (20, 30) and one evaluation device (40) is provided for testing whether the measured relative positions of the devices (20, 30) lie within a tolerance interval.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for adapting a vibration isolation system as well as to an arrangement with a vibration isolation system. By constructive measures in the environment of the vibration isolation system, particularly plane-parallel surfaces areas are avoided and thereby disturbing environmental influences are reduced.

Abstract: The invention relates to an air bearing with vertical structural resonance.

Abstract: An examination and processing machine, in particular a lithography appliance, for use in the semiconductor industry, comprising a machine frame (1), an examination or processing device (5) for a work piece (4), a carriage (3) which is mounted on the machine frame (1) and can hold the work piece (4), a handling device (6) for positioning the work piece (4) on the carriage (3) and for removing it from the carriage (3), a series of oscillation isolators (2) for low-oscillation mounting of the machine frame (1), and individual control devices (30, 40, 20) for controlling the carriage (3), the handling device (6) and the oscillation isolators (2). These control devices (20, 30, 40) are subordinate to an overall control device (50), which acts as a host system, via a real-time bus (60).

Abstract: The invention relates to an environmental noise shielding apparatus in which the internal temperature can be matched to the external temperature by means of a cooling element which is arranged within the environmental noise shielding apparatus. This allows a better sound protection effect.