Displacement devices and methods for fabrication, use and control of same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10008915-B2
Application number	US-201715595941-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 15, 2017
Priority date	Oct 27, 2011
Publication date	Jun 26, 2018
Grant date	Jun 26, 2018

Abstract

Displacement devices comprise a stator and a moveable stage. The stator comprises a plurality of coils shaped to provide pluralities of generally linearly elongated coil traces in one or more layers. Layers of coils may overlap in the Z-direction. The moveable stage comprises a plurality of magnet arrays. Each magnet array may comprise a plurality of magnetization segments generally linearly elongated in a corresponding direction. Each magnetization segment has a magnetization direction generally orthogonal to the direction in which it is elongated and at least two of the magnetization directions are different from one another. One or more amplifiers may be connected to selectively drive current in the coil traces and to thereby effect relative movement between the stator and the moveable stage.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. The displacement device comprising:
a stator comprising a plurality of elongated coils shaped to provide a working region wherein traces of the coils are linearly oriented, the plurality of elongated coils comprising:
a first plurality of coil traces distributed over a first layer at a corresponding first stator Z-location, each of the first plurality of coil traces linearly elongated in a stator X-direction in the first layer for carrying current in the stator X-direction; and
a second plurality of coil traces distributed over a second layer at a corresponding second stator Z-location, each of the second plurality of coil traces linearly elongated in a stator Y-direction in the second layer for carrying current in the stator Y-direction, the stator Y-direction non-parallel to the stator X-direction;
the first and second layers overlapping one another in a stator Z-direction, the stator Z-direction orthogonal to both the stator X-direction and the stator Y-direction; and

a moveable stage comprising:
a first magnet array comprising a plurality of first magnetization segments linearly elongated in a stage X-direction, each first magnetization segment having a corresponding magnetization direction orthogonal to the stage X-direction and at least two of the plurality of first magnetization segments having magnetization directions that are different from one another;

wherein
current driven into at least some of the first plurality of coil traces, the second plurality of coil traces or both the first and second pluralities of coil traces effects relative movement between the moveable stage and the stator; and
a stage Y-direction width of a first magnetization segment of the plurality of first magnetization segments is half of a stage Y-direction width of a second magnetization segment of the plurality of first magnetization segments, the stage-Y direction orthogonal to the stage-X direction.

2. The displacement device according to claim 1 wherein the first magnetization segment of the plurality of first magnetization segments is a first edge magnetization segment located at a first stage Y-direction edge of the plurality of first magnetization segments and the second magnetization segment of the plurality of first magnetization segments is a first interior magnetization segment located at a stage Y-direction location between the first stage Y-direction edge of the plurality of first magnetization segments and a second stage Y-direction edge of the plurality of first magnetization segments, the second stage Y-direction edge opposed from the first stage Y-direction edge.

3. The displacement device according to claim 1 wherein a stage Y-direction width of a third magnetization segment of the plurality of first magnetization segments is half of the stage Y-direction width of the second magnetization segment of the plurality of first magnetization segments.

4. The displacement device according to claim 3 wherein:
the first magnetization segment of the plurality of first magnetization segments is a first edge magnetization segment located at a first stage Y-direction edge of the plurality of first magnetization segments;
the third magnetization segment of the plurality of first magnetization segments is a second edge magnetization segment located a second stage Y-direction extremity of the plurality of first magnetization segments, the second stage Y-direction edge opposed to the first stage Y-direction edge; and
the second magnetization segment of the plurality of first magnetization segments is a first interior magnetization segment located at a stage Y-direction location between the first stage Y-direction edge and the second stage Y-direction edge.

5. The displacement device according to claim 1 wherein the moveable stage comprises a second magnet array comprising a plurality of second magnetization segments linearly elongated in a stage Y-direction non-parallel to the stage X-direction, each second magnetization segment having a magnetization direction orthogonal to the stage Y-direction and at least two of the second magnetization segments having magnetization directions that are different from one another.

6. The displacement device according to claim 5 wherein the plurality of second magnetization segments comprises:
a pair of second edge magnetization segments with one second edge magnetization segment located at each stage X-direction edge of the plurality of second magnetization segments; and
one or more second interior magnetization segments at stage X-direction locations between the second edge magnetization segments; and
wherein a stage X-direction width of the second edge magnetization segments is half of a stage X-direction width of the second interior magnetization segments.

7. The displacement device according to claim 6 wherein:
the first magnetization segment of the plurality of first magnetization segments is one of a pair of first edge magnetization segments with one first edge magnetization segment located at each stage Y-direction edge of the plurality of first magnetization segments; and
the second magnetization segment of the plurality of first magnetization segments is one of one or more first interior magnetization segments at stage Y-direction locations between the first edge magnetization segments; and
wherein a stage Y-direction width of the first edge magnetization segments is half of a stage Y-direction width of the first interior magnetization segments.

8. The displacement device according to claim 5 wherein the moveable stage comprises:
a third magnet array comprising a plurality of third magnetization segments linearly elongated in the stage X-direction, each third magnetization segment having a magnetization direction orthogonal to the stage X-direction and at least two of the third magnetization segments having magnetization directions that are different from one another; and
a fourth magnet array comprising a plurality of fourth magnetization segments linearly elongated in the stage Y-direction, each fourth magnetization segment having a magnetization direction orthogonal to the stage Y-direction and at least two of the fourth magnetization segments having magnetization directions that are different from one another.

9. The displacement device according to claim 8 wherein:
the first magnetization segment of the plurality of first magnetization segments is one of a pair of first edge magnetization segments with one first edge magnetization segment located at each stage Y-direction edge of the plurality of first magnetization segments;
the second magnetization segment of the plurality of first magnetization segments is one of one or more first interior magnetization segments at stage Y-direction locations between the first edge magnetization segments; and
wherein a stage Y-direction width of the first edge magnetization segments is half of a stage Y-direction width of the first interior magnetization segments
the plurality of second magnetization segments comprises:
a pair of second edge magnetization segments with one second edge magnetization segment located at each stage X-direction edge of the plurality of second magnetization segments; and
one or more second interior magnetization segments at stage X-direction locations between the second edge magnetization segments;
wherein a stage X-direction width of the second edge magnetization segments is half of a stage X-direction width of the second interior magnetization segments;

the plurality of third magnetization segments comprises:
a pair of third edge magnetization segments with one third edge magnetization segment located at each stage Y-direction edge of the plurality of third magnetization segme

Assignees

• Univ British Columbia

Inventors

• Lu Xiaodong
• Usman Irfan-Ur-Rab

Classifications

• H10P72/00

  Handling or holding of wafers, substrates or devices during manufacture or treatment thereof · CPC title

• H02K2201/18

  Machines moving with multiple degrees of freedom · CPC title

• H02K41/031 Primary

  of the permanent magnet type · CPC title

• H02K3/28

  Layout of windings or of connections between windings (windings for pole-changing H02K17/06, H02K17/14, H02K19/12, H02K19/32) · CPC title

• H02K7/09

  with magnetic bearings · CPC title