Magnetically-positioned X-Y stage having six-degrees of freedom

Claim 3

The apparatus defined in claim 1, wherein said magnets of said Halbach array are permanent magnets.

Claim 4

The apparatus defined in claim 1, wherein: said given oblique angle is substantially 45°.

Claim 5

The apparatus defined in claim 1, comprising: a plurality of Halbach arrays of magnets attached to said movable X-Y stage, wherein all of said arrays substantially lie in a horizontal X, Y plane, are oriented substantially parallel to the same one of said X and Y horizontal axes, and are situated in cooperative relationship with both the first and second sets of coils of wire; each of said magnets of each of said plurality of Halbach arrays having substantially the same given length in a direction parallel to said same one of said X and Y horizontal axes and substantially a same given width in a direction parallel to the other one of said X and Y horizontal axes, such that a ratio of said given width to said given length is equal to the tangent of said oblique angle; and respective centers of identically-poled magnets of adjacent ones of said plurality of Halbach arrays being (1) translationally offset in a direction substantially parallel to said same one of said X and Y horizontal axes by a first distance and (2) translationally offset in a direction substantially parallel to the other one of said X and Y horizontal axes by a second distance with a ratio of said second distance to said first distance also being equal to the tangent of said oblique angle.

Claim 6

The apparatus defined in claim 4, wherein: said first distance is substantially equal to twice said given length and said second distance is substantially equal to twice said given width; whereby adjacent ones of said plurality of Halbach arrays are spaced from one another in a direction substantially parallel to the other one of the X and Y horizontal axes by a distance substantially equal to said given width.

Claim 7

The apparatus defined in claim 5, further comprising a pair of spaced electromagnets attached to said movable X-Y stage, each of said spaced electromagnets being situated in a predetermined space between a pair of adjacent Halbach arrays for generating magnetic fields that cooperate with magnetic fields generated by said first and second sets of flat stationary electromagnet coils of wire to create a couple for tilting said movable X-Y stage about said horizontal X axis.

Claim 8

The apparatus defined in claim 5, further comprising a pair of spaced electromagnets attached to said movable X-Y stage, each of said spaced electromagnets being situated in a predetermined space between a pair of adjacent Halbach arrays for generating magnetic fields that cooperate with magnetic fields generated by said first and second sets of flat stationary electromagnet coils of wire to create a couple for tilting said movable X-Y stage about said horizontal Y axis.

Claim 9

The apparatus defined in claim 5, further comprising a pair of spaced electromagnets attached to said movable X-Y stage, each of said spaced electromagnets being situated in a predetermined space between a pair of adjacent Halbach arrays for generating magnetic fields that cooperate with magnetic fields generated by said first and second sets of flat stationary electromagnet coils of wire to create a couple for yawing said movable X-Y stage about said vertical Z axis.

Claim 10

The apparatus defined in claim 5, wherein: each of said magnets of said plurality of spaced Halbach arrays is a permanent magnet; each permanent magnet has a square cross-section; and said given oblique angle is substantially 45°.

Claim 11

The apparatus defined in claim 9, wherein: said movable X-Y stage is a wafer support X-Y stage in the form of a foreshortened cylinder having said plurality of spaced Halbach arrays of permanent magnets attached to the bottom thereof.

Claim 12

The apparatus defined in claim 10, wherein: said wafer support X-Y stage is in the form of a foreshortened circular cylinder having said plurality of spaced Halbach arrays of permanent magnets attached to the bottom thereof.

Claim 13

The apparatus defined in claim 10, wherein: said foreshortened cylinder of said wafer support X-Y stage has lateral dimensions of at least 200 millimeters.

Claim 14

The apparatus defined in claim 10, further comprising: a ferromagnetic platen; and a non-magnetic adhesive for attaching said first and second sets of flat stationary electromagnet coils of wire to said platen.

Claim 15

The apparatus defined in claim 13, wherein each of said first and second sets of flat stationary electromagnet coils of wire comprises at least four adjacent individually comutatable coiled wires arranged such that each magnet of said plurality of Halbach arrays at any one time is in cooperative relationship with a first subset of at least one of said commutable coil wires of said first set and a second subset of at least one of said comutatable coiled wires of said second set.

Claim 16

The apparatus defined in claim 14, wherein said number of said comutatable coiled wires of said first set is six and the number of said comutatable coiled wires of said second set is also six.

Claim 17

The apparatus defined in claim 10, wherein: said foreshortened cylinder of said wafer support X-Y stage has an ordinally-arranged plurality of eight spaced apart Halbach arrays of permanent magnets attached to the bottom thereof which are symmetrically-disposed with respect to both said X and Y axes; and each of said first and eighth spaced Halbach arrays consists of eight permanent magnets, each of said second and seventh spaced Halbach arrays consists of twelve permanent magnets, each of said third and sixth spaced Halbach arrays consists of fourteen permanent magnets, and each of said fourth and fifth spaced Halbach arrays consists of sixteen permanent magnets.

Claim 18

The apparatus defined in claim 16, further comprising: first, second and third pairs of spaced apart electromagnets attached to said movable X-Y stage; said spaced apart electromagnets of said first pair being situated (1) with a first given separation between them that is oriented parallel to a first selected one of said X and Y axes and (2) between permanent magnets of said spaced apart Halbach arrays that are poled parallel to said Z vertical axis for generating magnetic fields that cooperate with magnetic fields generated by said first and second sets of flat stationary electromagnet coils of wire to create a couple for tilting said movable X-Y stage about said given one of the X and Y horizontal axes; said spaced apart electromagnets of said second pair being situated (3) with a second given separation between them that is oriented parallel to a second selected one of said X and Y axes and (4) between permanent magnets of said spaced apart Halbach arrays that are poled parallel to said Z vertical axis for generating magnetic fields that cooperate with magnetic fields generated by said first and second sets of fiat stationary electromagnet coils of wire to create a couple for tilting said movable X-Y stage about said other one of the X and Y horizontal axes; and said spaced apart electromagnets of said third pair being situated (5) with a third given separation between them that is oriented parallel to a second selected one of said X and Y axes and (6) between permanent magnets of said spaced apart Halbach arrays that are poled parallel to said Z vertical axis for generating magnetic fields that cooperate with magnetic fields generated by said first and second sets of flat stationary electromagnet coils of wire to create a couple for yawing said movable X-Y stage about said vertical Z axis.

Claim 19

The apparatus defined in claim 17, wherein: both of said first pair of spaced apart electromagnets are situated in said space between the fourth and fifth spaced apart Halbach arrays; a first of said second pair of spaced apart electromagnets is situated in said space between said first and second spaced apart Halbach arrays and a second of said second pair of spaced apart electromagnets is situated in said space between said sixth and seventh spaced apart Halbach arrays; and both of said third pair of spaced apart electromagnets are situated in said space between the fourth and fifth spaced apart Halbach arrays.

Claim 20

The apparatus defined in claim 1, further comprising: a ferromagnetic platen; and a non-magnetic adhesive for attaching said first and second sets of flat stationary electromagnet coils of wire to said platen.