JP2012061530A - Positioning stage - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To highly precisely perform control, and to suppress the whole size of an apparatus as far as possible so as to make a setting table, for placing a sample on an upper face thereof, to be a tilted posture of a second unit angle.SOLUTION: In a positioning stage, the setting table 20, for placing a sample on an upper face thereof, is swingably set for a fixing base body 10. A ball screw 31 is penetration-installed to the fixing base body 10 along the direction orthogonal to a swinging axis of the setting table 20, and a nut body 34 is screwed and set to the ball screw 31 so as to freely advance and retreat and so as not to rotate. One end of a plate-like connection body 40, which is elastically deformable, is fixed to the nut body 34 and the other end is fixed to the setting table 20.

Description

  The present invention relates to a positioning stage on which a certain kind of sample for analysis, a certain kind of work for achieving processing, and the like are placed.

  In sample stages used in optical microscopes and electron microscopes, processing steps for joining the end faces of optical fibers, prism application steps, processes for analyzing components by irradiating radiation to certain types of samples, etc. Therefore, in order to be able to observe a workpiece, sample, etc. from any direction, it is necessary to move them to a predetermined position in micron units, or to place them in an inclined posture at an angle in seconds, Many devices have been developed to achieve this.

  A typical structure of this type of positioning stage is a structure in which an installation table on which a sample is placed is mounted on a fixed base body so as to freely swing. A worm and a worm wheel are used as means for realizing this swinging. I came. That is, the worm wheel assembled on the installation table is engaged with the worm shaft penetrating through the fixed base body, the worm wheel is rotated by the rotation of the worm shaft, and the installation table is rocked and inclined.

  However, this worm and worm wheel drive mechanism wears the meshing part and causes so-called backlash when used for a long time, and is not suitable for a device that requires high precision and high durability such as a positioning stage. It was. From the viewpoint, for example, the following inventions have been proposed.

JP 2009-113157 A

  The invention “inclined stage” disclosed in Patent Document 1 has an inclined member assembled so as to move along a curved surface guide portion of a base, a ball screw rotatably supported on the base, a female screw body attached to the inclined member, and a ball screw. In the basic configuration, the rotational movement of the female screw body is restricted, and the U-shaped member integrated with the female screw body located in the space provided in the inclined member is passed through the screw to the inclined member. The first bearing and the second bearing are attached to the bar-shaped member to be stopped, the first bearing is in contact with one wall portion of the U-shaped member, is not in contact with the other wall portion, and the second bearing is The configuration is such that it does not abut against one wall and abuts against the other wall.

  In this configuration, the female screw body moves forward and backward as the ball screw rotates, so that either the first bearing or the second bearing that contacts the wall of the U-shaped member presses the U-shaped member. In addition, since the inclined member is pressed, the inclined member can be swung back and forth with respect to the base.

  However, since high accuracy is required for the assembly of the U-shaped member and the first bearing and the second bearing, the assembling work is difficult, and since many parts are used, the manufacturing cost increases. Since a space for forming a void in the inclined member into which the member is to be incorporated must be made large, there are many drawbacks such as an increase in size or a reduction in size as a whole.

Therefore, the present invention is a positioning stage developed to eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks, inconveniences, and dissatisfactions of the prior art, so that the installation table on which the sample is placed has an inclined posture of a second unit angle. It is an object to control with high accuracy and to suppress the size of the entire apparatus as much as possible.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a positioning stage for swingably assembling an installation table on which a sample is placed on an upper surface of a fixed base body, and the above-described fixed base body includes a ball screw. A nut body is screwed and assembled to this ball screw so that it can be moved forward and backward and non-rotatably along the direction perpendicular to the swing axis of the installation table, and one end of the elastically deformable plate-like coupling body is attached. It is the structure characterized by fixing to the above-mentioned nut body and fixing the other end to the above-mentioned installation table.

In this case, the coupling body is configured by cutting a pair of slits in parallel from the front end of the center of the flat plate plate to form one tongue piece in the center and a pair of other tongue pieces remaining on both sides, The tip of one tongue piece is fixed to the nut body, and each tip of the other tongue piece is fixed to the installation table.

  Or in this case, the pair of first slits are cut out in parallel from the front end of the central portion of the flat plate plate to form a first tongue piece in the center and remain on both sides of the first tongue piece. A second slit is cut out from the central base end of each side end, a second tongue piece on both sides of the first tongue piece, and a third slit on the outside of the second tongue piece. Each tongue piece is formed and configured, and the tip portion of the first tongue piece is fixed to the nut body, and each tip portion of the third tongue piece is fixed to the installation table.

  In the present invention described above, the installation table is swingably assembled to the fixed base body, and the ball screw penetrating through the fixed base body is provided along a direction orthogonal to the swing axis of the installation table. Therefore, when the ball screw is rotated in a predetermined direction, the nut body screwed and assembled to the ball screw is moved forward and backward in a direction perpendicular to the swing axis. Since the installation table is connected to the nut body by a plate-like connection body, the installation table is pushed or pulled along with the forward and backward movement and swings with respect to the fixed base body.

  Since the plate-like connecting body is elastically deformable, when the installation table to which the connecting body is connected and fixed rises and swings with respect to the horizontally moving nut body, the connecting body elastically deforms following this, If the swinging movement is lowered to the original position, the connecting body is elastically restored following this, so that the installation table can always swing stably and accurately in a smooth state. That is, since the displacement and declination in the height direction of the installation table accompanying the swinging are absorbed by the elastic deformation of the coupling body, it can follow flexibly. Since the swing amount can be achieved by controlling the rotation amount of the ball screw, the tilt posture of the upper surface can be displaced by a desired second unit angle corresponding to the rotation pitch.

  Further, in the above-described operation, the greater the amount of movement of the installation table, the greater the amount of displacement and the amount of declination in the height direction. As a result, the stress applied to the coupled body increases. In the above configuration, since the installation table and the nut body are connected to both ends of the plate-like connecting body, the stress is concentrated at two points on both ends, which may affect the durability. Since both ends of the coupling body are not located at the center of oscillation, even if the ball screw is rotated forward and backward by the same pitch and the nut body is moved forward and backward by the same amount, it will move to one side due to the displacement in the height direction. Is different from the swing feed amount to the other.

  Therefore, when the connecting body is configured by cutting a pair of slits in parallel from the front end of the flat plate plate to form one tongue piece in the center and a pair of other tongue pieces remaining on both sides, Stress is applied not only to the distal end of one tongue piece to be fixed and the distal end portion of the other tongue piece to be fixed to the installation table, but also to the base end portion of the flat plate not fixed to any of the three points. Since it is dispersed, the durability is improved, both ends of the connecting body can be positioned at the center of swinging, and the swing feed amount to one and the other can be made substantially equal.

  Then, the connecting body is formed by cutting a pair of first slits in parallel from the front end of the central portion of the flat plate plate to form a first tongue piece in the center, and each remaining on both sides of the first tongue piece. A second slit is cut out from the base end of the central portion of the side end, respectively, a second tongue piece on both sides of the first tongue piece, and a third tongue piece outside the second tongue piece. The flat plate plate is not fixed to any of the first tongue piece fixed to the nut body and the other tongue piece fixed to the installation table. The stress is also applied to the two points of the base end portion and the tip end portion of the side end portion, resulting in four points, so that the durability is further improved.

In addition, the connection between the nut body and the installation table is only a plate-like connection body, so the structure is extremely simple, the operation is smooth, the occupied space can be minimized, and the device can be miniaturized. It has many excellent operational effects.

It is a see-through | perspective perspective view of a positioning stage. It is a perspective view of the state which removed the installation table. It is a perspective view of a positioning stage. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 3. It is a partial expansion perspective view which shows an example of a coupling body. It is a virtual perspective view which shows the elastic deformation state of the coupling body of FIG. It is a partial expansion perspective view which shows the other example of a coupling body. It is a virtual perspective view which shows the elastic deformation state of the coupling body of FIG. It is a partial expansion perspective view which shows the further another example of a coupling body. It is a virtual perspective view which shows the elastic deformation state of the coupling body of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the rocking | swiveling state at the time of using the coupling body of FIG. 6, FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the rocking | swiveling state at the time of using the coupling body of FIG. 8, FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the rocking | swiveling state at the time of using the coupling body of FIG. 10, FIG. It is a schematic diagram which shows the deformation amount at the time of using each coupling body.

The positioning stage 1 of the present invention has a configuration in which an installation table 20 on which a sample is placed on an upper surface of a fixed base body 10 is swingably assembled. The ball screw 31, which is a part, is installed in a penetrating manner along a direction orthogonal to the swing axis of the installation table 20, and a nut body 34 is screwed and assembled to the ball screw 31 so as to be movable forward and backward and not rotatable. One end of the flexible plate-like connecting body 40 is fixed to the nut body 34 and the other end is fixed to the installation table 20.

  Accordingly, when the motor 32 in the swinging operation body 30 is operated to rotate the ball screw 31 in a predetermined direction, the nut body 34 is pushed or pulled accordingly, and moves forward or backward to be fixed to the nut body 34. The installation table 20 is oscillated and displaced in a predetermined direction via the connecting body 40.

  Oscillating curved surfaces 11 are formed on the upper surfaces of the left and right end portions of the fixed base body 10 (FIG. 2). A ball screw 31 is pierced and installed along a direction orthogonal to. One roller race 12 that forms a cross roller guide protrudes along the swing curved surface 11 inside the swing curved surface 11. The roller race 12 has a configuration in which a roller cage 14 is incorporated in a V-groove transfer surface 13 subjected to precision grinding by alternately crossing precision cylindrical rollers (FIG. 2).

Further, the swinging operation body 30 uses, for example, a high-precision motor 32 that rotates the ball screw 31 as a drive source, and the rotation shaft of the motor 32 is coupled to the ball screw 31 via a coupling 33 (FIG. 4).

  The nut body 34 screwed and assembled to the ball screw 31 is a block body, and the ball screw 31 is screwed into a female screw hole penetrating through the center. The nut body 34 also rotates simultaneously with the rotation of the ball screw 31. The lower surface thereof is in contact with the upper surface of the receiving plate 15 serving as the bottom surface of the fixed base body 10. Therefore, when the ball screw 31 is rotated, the nut body 34 cannot be rotated and cannot be rotated. Will slide forward and backward.

  Next, the setting table 20 on which the sample is placed on the upper surface is formed with swinging curved surfaces 21 corresponding to the swinging curved surfaces 11 of the fixed base body 10 on the lower surfaces of the left and right side end portions ( 5, 12, 13, and 14), by mounting on the fixed base body 10, the rocking curved surface 21 comes into contact with the rocking curved surface 11 and slides and rocks. On the lower surface inside the rocking curved surface 21, the other roller race 22 faces the one roller race 12 of the fixed base body 10 and projects downward along the rocking curved surface 21 ( 1), the one roller race 12 and the other roller race 22 form a cross roller guide. Here, since a plurality of cylindrical rollers roll on the roller races 12 and 22, the swinging operation of the installation table 20 operates with little change in friction from the stop to the start (difference between static friction and dynamic friction). Sliding is unlikely to occur, and the load is supported by line contact, so rigidity is high.

The simplest form of the connecting body 40 is a single flat plate 41. In FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the first plate 41 formed so as to be capable of bending elastic deformation is attached to the nut body 34 via a bolt pin 35. In addition to being assembled (FIG. 6), it is assembled to the installation table 20 via the bolt pins 23 (not shown). FIG. 12 shows an operation state in which the flat plate 41 is used. FIG. 12A shows a posture in which the nut body 34 is located at the center, and the upper surface of the installation table 20 is in a horizontal state. 12 (b) shows the nut body 34 retracted, and FIG. 12 (c) shows the nut body 34 advanced so that the upper surface of the installation table 20 is in a predetermined inclined state. In this operation, it will be understood that the portions a and b, which are both ends of the flat plate 41 fixed to the nut body 34 and the installation table 20, are elastically deformed and stress is applied. That is, as shown in FIG. 15A, when the maximum swing displacement amount is h, the deformation amount angle of the first plate 41 is θa.

8 and 9 show a second plate 42 formed by cutting out a part of the connecting body 40 so that it can be bent and elastically deformed. FIG. 8 shows that the second plate 42 is connected to the nut body 34 via the bolt pins 35. The assembled state is shown, and the bolt pin 23 is for assembling to the installation table 20 (not shown).

FIG. 9 is a virtual perspective view showing a state where the second plate 42 is bent and elastically deformed. A pair of slits 421 are cut out in parallel from the front end of the central portion of the flat plate plate, and one tongue piece 422 is formed in the center. A pair of other tongue pieces 423 are formed on both sides, and the tip of one tongue piece 422 is fixed to the nut body 34 via a bolt pin 35 and the other pair of tongue pieces 423 is formed. Is fixed to the installation table 20 via bolt pins 23.

FIG. 13 shows an operation state in which the second plate 42 is used as the connecting body 40. FIG. 13A shows a posture in which the nut body 34 is located at the center, and the upper surface of the installation table 20 is horizontal. FIG. 13B shows the state in which the nut body 34 is retracted, and FIG. 13C shows the state in which the nut body 34 is advanced, and the upper surface of the installation table 20 is in a predetermined inclined state.

Here, when the nut body 34 is moved forward and backward and the second plate 42 is elastically deformed, it is connected and fixed to the portion a which is the tip of one tongue piece 422 connected to the nut body 34 and the installation table 20. The base end portion c of the second plate 42 is elastically deformed and stress is applied thereto, as well as the portion b that is the tip portion of the other pair of tongue pieces 423. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 15B, since the second plate 42 is inverted at the base end portion c, the deformation of the second plate 42 necessary to secure the maximum swing displacement amount h. The angle of the amount is θb, and the amount of deformation in a small space can be suppressed smaller than the angle of deformation θa of the first plate 41 described above. As a result, the a part, the b part, c The stress applied to each part can be suppressed as much as possible.

Next, FIGS. 10 and 11 show a third plate 43 formed by cutting out a part of the connecting body 40 so that it can be bent elastically deformed. FIG. 10 shows the third plate 43 through a bolt pin 35 and a nut body. The bolt pin 23 is for assembling to the installation table 20 (not shown).

FIG. 11 is a virtual perspective view showing a state in which the third plate 43 is elastically deformed by bending, and a pair of first slits 431 are cut out in parallel from the front end of the central portion of the flat plate, and the first plate is centered. The tongue piece 432 is formed, and the second slits 433 are respectively cut out from the central base ends of the respective side end portions remaining on both sides of the first tongue piece 432, so that both sides of the first tongue piece 432 are formed. The second tongue piece 434 and the third tongue piece 435 are formed outside the second tongue piece 434, respectively, and the tip of the first tongue piece 432 is connected to the nut body via the bolt pin 35. 34 and the tip portions of the pair of third tongue pieces 435 are fixed to the installation table 20 via the bolt pins 23.

FIG. 14 shows an operation state in which the third plate 43 is used as the coupling body 40. FIG. 14A shows a posture in which the nut body 34 is located in the center, and the upper surface of the installation table 20 is horizontal. 14 (b) shows the nut body 34 retracted, and FIG. 14 (c) shows the nut body 34 advanced, and the upper surface of the installation table 20 is in a predetermined inclined state.

Here, when the nut body 34 is moved forward and backward and the third plate 43 is bent and elastically deformed, it is connected and fixed to the portion a which is the tip of the first tongue piece 432 connected and fixed to the nut body 34 and the installation table 20. In addition to the portion b that is the tip portion of the third tongue piece 435, the base end portion c of the third plate 43 and the tip portion d of the side end of the third plate 43 are also included. Stress is applied. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 15C, the third plate 43 is inverted at the base end portion c, and further inverted again at the tip end portion d at the side end portion of the third plate 43. The angle of the deformation amount of the third plate 43 required to secure the swing displacement amount h is θc, and the deformation amount in the small space is the angle θa of the deformation amount of the first plate 41 described above. Alternatively, the deformation amount of the second plate 42 can be further reduced as compared to the angle θb, and as a result, the stress applied to the a part, the b part, the c part, and the d part can be suppressed as much as possible.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Positioning stage 10 Fixed base body 11 Oscillating curved surface 12 One roller race 13 V-groove transfer surface 14 Roller cage 15 Receiving plate 20 Installation table 21 Oscillating curved surface 22 Other roller race 23 Bolt pin 30 Oscillating operation body 31 Ball screw 32 Motor 33 Coupling 34 Nut body 35 Bolt pin 40 Coupling body 41 Flat plate 42 Second plate 421 Slit 422 One tongue piece 423 Other tongue piece 43 Third plate 431 First slit 432 First tongue piece 433 Second slit 434 Second tongue 435 Third tongue

Claims (3)

  A positioning stage in which an installation table (20) on which a sample is placed is swingably assembled with respect to a fixed base body (10), and a ball screw (31) is installed on the fixed base body (10). The nut (34) is screwed and assembled to the ball screw (31) so that it can be moved forward and backward and non-rotatable. A positioning stage characterized in that one end of a plate-like connecting body (40) is fixed to the nut body (34) and the other end is fixed to the installation table (20). A pair of slits (421) is cut out in parallel from the front end of the central portion of the flat plate to form one tongue piece (422) in the center of the coupling body (40) and a pair of other tongue pieces (423) on both sides. The tip of one tongue piece (422) is fixed to the nut body (34) and the tip of the other tongue piece (423) is fixed to the installation table (20). The positioning stage according to claim 1.   A pair of first slits (431) are cut out in parallel from the front end of the central portion of the flat plate to form the first tongue piece (432) in the center of the coupling body (40), and the first tongue piece The second slits (433) are cut out from the central base ends of the respective side end portions remaining on both sides of (432), and second tongue pieces (432) are formed on both sides of the first tongue piece (432). 434) and a third tongue piece (435) formed on the outer side of the second tongue piece (434), respectively, and the tip of the first tongue piece (432) is the nut body (34). The positioning stage according to claim 1, wherein each tip portion of the third tongue piece (435) is fixed to the installation table (20).

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