JP2003311560A - X-y stage - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an X-Y stage, which can reduce the number of its components and processes for fine adjustment, and can reduce its manufacturing cost, and can carry out the adjustment by simply changing the driving force for moving a table. <P>SOLUTION: The X-Y stage has a table 1 as a moving body on which a workpiece is put. The table 1 is able to move in the X direction and the Y direction on the same plane. The table 1 is able to precisely and finely move by turning micrometer heads 7a, 7b. In the case of moving the table 1 in the X direction and the Y direction, the driving force and the holding force after movement are adjustable by means of coil springs 5. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to processing, assembly, measurement,
Precisely X and Y the work on the production line to inspect
The present invention relates to a thin XY stage that can be moved in any direction.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An image of a conventional XY stage is shown in a perspective view in FIG.

A conventional XY stage is composed of two plate-shaped parts 61, 62, 71 and 72 in each of the X and Y directions (two surfaces as sliding surfaces), and a total of four plate-shaped parts are vertically arranged. The plate-like parts 61 and 62 are fitted in the dovetail 63 and the dovetail groove 64, and the plate-like parts 71 and 72 are fitted into the dovetail 73 and the dovetail groove 74, thereby functioning as a stage. .

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, since two plate-shaped parts are combined vertically in the X direction and the Y direction, respectively, the thickness of the stage becomes large. There is a drawback in that the height of the entire apparatus used also increases.

Further, since the number of parts is increased, many man-hours are required to obtain accuracy and the manufacturing cost is increased.

Further, since precise fitting portions (such as dovetail and dovetail groove) are required in each of the X and Y directions, it is difficult to easily change and adjust the driving force for moving the table, and the table is penetrated into the central portion. It was also difficult to make a hole.

The present invention solves each of the problems described above, reduces the number of parts and the number of man-hours required for accuracy, and reduces the manufacturing cost.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an XY stage in which the driving force for moving a table can be easily changed and adjusted.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, an XY stage according to the present invention has a movable body for holding a work, and the movable body is movable in the X and Y directions within the same plane. It is characterized by The moving body is
By moving the micrometer head in the X direction and the Y direction, it may be possible to move with high precision and a small amount.

In the present invention, when the moving body is moved in the X direction and the Y direction, the driving force and the position holding force after the movement may be adjustable by a spring, and the reference sliding surface when the moving body is moved. The contact pressure of the moving body on the flat surface may be adjusted by a spring, and it is preferable that the sliding surface with which the moving body comes into contact is subjected to surface treatment with a low friction coefficient, and a through hole is formed at the center of the moving body. Can be provided.

[0010]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. This X
In the Y stage, a rectangular thin table 1 having a through hole in the center is a sliding surface 1 of a thin disk-shaped table base 2.
The coil spring 9 is mounted on the first plate 1 while being pressed against it.

The XY stage is provided with table-driving micrometer heads 7a and 7b on the same plane in the X and Y directions, and enables highly precise and minute feed of the table 1. Also, the micrometer head 7
Pressing pieces 3 and 4 are arranged as U-shaped parts for pressing the table at the tips of a and 7b and in the opposite direction with the tip and the table 1 sandwiched, and the table 1 is held.

Of the above-mentioned components, the pressing piece 3 is pressed by the micrometer heads 7a and 7b and transmits the driving force for movement to the table 1. Further, the presser piece 3 is restricted by the non-rotating pin 6 from moving in directions other than the driving force transmitting direction.

The pressing piece 4 functions to push the table 1 back to the micrometer heads 7a, 7b by the reaction force of the coil spring 5 provided between the pressing piece 4 and the table base 2. Similar to the presser piece 3, the rotation stop pin 6 restricts the movement in a direction other than the pushing back direction.

To summarize the above, Table 1 is
It is driven by turning the micrometer heads 7a and 7b in the forward direction, slides in the respective XY forward directions, and returns the micrometer heads 7a and 7b. You can slide back in the direction of. At that time, the contact surface between the side surface of the table 1 and the table side surfaces of the pressing pieces 3 and 4 slips on the contact surfaces in the respective XY immovable directions, and a certain sense of resistance is exerted in the moving directions. It gives a smooth movement while giving. The resistance feeling at that time can be arbitrarily set by changing the coil spring 5. Further, even in the surface treatment of the parts, if the surface treatment with a low friction coefficient is performed, it becomes possible to make the movement smoother.

As described above, due to its characteristic structure, the XY stage according to the present invention is an ultra-thin, compact, low-cost, high-precision X-axis which cannot be achieved by conventional products.
It's the Y stage.

[0016]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS (First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the features of the present invention as a drawing. In the figure, 1 is a table as a moving body, 2 is a thin disc-shaped table base, 3 and 4 are pressing pieces for pressing the table 1, 5 is a coil spring, and 6 is a pressing piece 3 or 4 Detent pin for stopping, 7a and 7b are micrometer heads,
8 is a press washer for pressing the table 1 in the Z direction,
Reference numeral 9 is a pressing coil spring in the Z direction, and 10 is a tightening ring in the Z direction.

The table 1 integrally has a protrusion 1a having a circular cross section at the center thereof, and the through hole 1 is provided along the axis of the protrusion la.
2 is provided, and a male screw lb is engraved on the outer periphery of the tip of the protrusion la that penetrates the table base 2 and projects downward from the lower surface thereof, and the female screw of the tightening ring 10 is screwed onto the male screw lb. The table 1 has a lower surface which is a sliding surface of the table base 2 by means of a presser coil spring 9 arranged between a press washer 8 loosely fitted around the protrusion la and a tightening ring 10 screwed to the protrusion la. It is pressed against 11. At this time, table 1 and table base 2
The upper surfaces of and are almost flush with each other.

The table base 2 has an upward facing square seat hole 2a for receiving the table 1, and the bottom surface of the seat hole 2a is formed as a smooth sliding surface 11. Seat hole 2
A rectangular expansion holes 2b, which are expanded in four radial directions at equal angular intervals of 90 degrees of the table base 2 and along the X direction or the Y direction, are connected to a in four directions. A pressing piece 3 or a pressing piece 4 is slidably inserted and arranged in 2b, and a coil spring 5 whose one end abuts against the pressing piece 4 is inserted and arranged in an expansion hole 2b into which the pressing piece 4 is inserted. . The seat hole 2a and each expansion hole 2b are sized so that the table 1 is movable in the X direction and the Y direction, and the pressing pieces 3 and 4 are movable in the corresponding X direction or the Y direction. ing.

Further, the table base 2 is aligned with each of the pressing pieces 3 and is provided with two radial holes 2c in the X direction and the Y direction, which are respectively formed in two locations along the radial direction, and each of the expansion holes 2b is X. The pin hole 2d is formed on a surface perpendicular to the direction or the Y direction. The distal end portions of the corresponding micrometer heads 7a and 7b are inserted into the radial holes 2c, and the detent pin 6 is slidably inserted into the pin hole 2d. The tip ends of the micrometer heads 7a and 7b project into the expansion holes 2b of the table base 2 and correspond to the pressing pieces 3 by the biasing force of the coil springs 5.
Abuts the outer surface of the.

The table 1, the pressing pieces 3 and 4, the coil spring 5, the detent pin 6 and the micrometer head 7 are provided.
The a and 7b are arranged on the same plane parallel to the sliding surface 11 of the table base 2.

Next, the operation of the XY stage according to the present embodiment when actually used will be described step by step. First, a work is placed on the table 1 so as to cover the upper opening of the through hole 12, vacuum suction is applied from the lower end of the through hole 12 to adsorb and fix the work on the table 1, and the work is moved in each of the X direction and the Y direction. When you want to move a certain amount, first, the micrometer head 7a for X-direction drive
Is moved by a predetermined amount to move the table 1 on which the work is placed in the X direction, and then the micrometer head 7b for driving in the Y direction is moved by a predetermined amount to move the table 1 in the Y direction. By this series of operations, the work on the table 1 can be moved to a predetermined position in the X direction and the Y direction. In this state, the table 1 can be held at the positions in the X and Y directions by the frictional force of the coil spring 5 between the side surface of the table 1 and the pressing pieces 3 and 4.

In this case, two micrometer heads 7
The a and 7b may be moved in the reverse order of the above, or may be moved simultaneously. The pressure at which the table 1 comes into contact with the plane serving as the sliding surface 11 can be adjusted by rotating the tightening ring 10 to adjust the urging force of the coil spring 9, and any of the sliding surface 11 and the lower surface of the table 1 in contact therewith. One or both of them may be surface-treated with a low friction coefficient.

According to this embodiment, the plate-shaped component is the table 1.
Since only the table base 2 is used, the number of necessary parts is reduced, and the height of the XY stage is within the thickness of the table base 2, which has the advantage of being able to significantly reduce the overall height. is there. There is also an advantage that the driving force for moving the table 1 can be easily changed and adjusted.

(Second Embodiment) An XY stage according to a second embodiment of the present invention uses a servo motor or a pulse motor instead of the XY direction driving micrometer heads 7a and 7b in the first embodiment. Use to drive table 1. Even in this case, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained.

(Third Embodiment) In the second embodiment of the present invention, the force for pressing the pressing piece 4 against the table 1 by the air sill instead of the coil spring 5 or 9 of the first embodiment, and the table 1 One or both of the forces that push against the sliding surface 11 are generated. Even in this case, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained.

[0026]

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to accurately move a movable body such as a table in the XY directions on the same plane in a small number of man-hours with a high degree of accuracy, and to hold it after the movement is small. Since it can be easily realized with this unit, it is expected that an extremely thin and compact XY stage can be manufactured at low cost.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a coplanar X according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view with a part broken away for explaining an ultra-thin XY stage having a table movable in the Y direction.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view for explaining an example of a conventional XY stage.

[Explanation of symbols]

1: table, 1a: protrusion, 1b: male screw, 2: table base, 2a: seat hole, 2b: expansion hole, 2c: radial hole, 2d: pin hole, 3, 4: table retainer piece, 5: coil spring , 6: non-rotating pin, 7a, 7b: micrometer head, 8: Z-direction pressing washer, 9: Z-direction pressing coil spring, 10: Z-direction tightening ring, 11: sliding surface, 12: through hole.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An XY stage comprising a movable body for holding a work, and the movable body is movable in the X and Y directions within the same plane. 2. The XY stage according to claim 1, wherein the moving body is capable of moving with high precision and a small amount by moving a micrometer head in the X and Y directions. 3. The moving force and the position holding force after the movement can be adjusted by a spring when the moving body is moved in the X and Y directions.
XY stage described in. 4. The XY according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the pressure at which the moving body comes into contact with a plane serving as a reference sliding surface when the moving body is moved can be adjusted by a spring. stage. 5. The XY stage according to claim 1, wherein a sliding surface with which the moving body comes into contact is subjected to a surface treatment having a low friction coefficient. 6. The XY stage according to claim 1, wherein a through hole is provided in a central portion of the moving body.