JPS60127932A - Xy stage - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the travel accuracy and positioning accuracy by limiting the force components to be applied upward and downward against XY stage while supporting onto referential base and movable guide thereby reducing up/ down motion and pitching. CONSTITUTION:Y-axis fixing guides 2, 2a having integral vertical guide section 21 and horizontal guide section 22 are arranged on the upper face of base to be used as the referential travel face then a movable guide 3 is engaged between both guides 2, 2a. Said guide 3 is made movable in the direction of Y-axis by means of a longitudinal axis driver 4 of linear motor construction while the opposite ends of movable guide 3 is supported contactless through an air bearing 32 communicating with pressure air source against each guide 2, 2a and referential travel face 11. A guide window 33 in the direction of X-axis is made in said guide 3 to assemble a laterally movable guide 5 having a stage 6 at the upper end while to enable motion in the direction of X-axis by means of a lateral drive system 7 of linear motor construction.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] <Technical Field of the Invention> The present invention is applicable to semiconductor manufacturing equipment, precision measuring machines, precision processing machines, robots, etc., and provides a flexible table device, so-called XY stage, for positioning a workpiece with high precision. Regarding.

<Background of the Invention> Conventionally, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, this type of XY stage has fixed guides 81, 81a, 82, 82a and fixed guides 8 on the four sides of a base 8 constituting a guide surface.
Linear motors 83 and 84 are arranged along 1.82, while vertically and horizontally movable guides 85 and 86 are disposed orthogonally above the base 8, and both ends of each movable guide 85 and 86 are fixed via air bearings. The guide 85.8 is connected to the guide sr, 82 and the linear motors 83, 84, and is movable vertically and horizontally.
A flexible stage 89 is disposed at the intersection of the guides 85 and 6 via an air bearing 87, and the flexible stage 89 is moved to the target position by displacement of the intersection of the vertically and horizontally movable guides 85 and 86.

However, in such an XY stage, among the forces applied to the flexible stage 89, the force directed vertically downward is supported by the base 8, but the force directed vertically upward is supported by the base 8 (the weight balance in the vertical direction is Therefore, if a vertically upward force component is applied to the stage 89, there is a risk that the stage 89 will levitate.Furthermore, since the stage 89 is of a weighted Noirance type, the bearing rigidity is increased by the weight of the stage 89. It cannot be increased unless it is, and the motor load will inevitably increase.Therefore, downward movement and pitching will occur and running accuracy will decrease.
Positioning accuracy also deteriorates.

In addition, as another conventional XY stage, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a vertically movable guide 92 is attached to two fixed guides 91 and 9 ], which are arranged parallel to each other on a base 9, and Attach Yokomachi power unit 93 to Machi 1tb guide 92, and connect motors 94 and 95 and feed screws 96 and 97, respectively.
This moves the vertically and horizontally movable guides 92 and 93, and moves the stage 98 formed on the first plane of the structural movable guide 93 to the target position. However, at the XY stage,
The load on the stage 98 is supported by the vertically and horizontally movable guides 92 and 93, and phenomena such as elastic deflection of the guides and inclination of the guides as they move occur, resulting in poor running accuracy and positioning accuracy due to vertical movement, pitching, etc. As a result, it becomes difficult to make the entire structure smaller and thinner.

<Objective of the Invention> The present invention aims to reduce vertical movement and pitching by supporting and restraining force components applied downwardly and downwardly to a stage on a reference base and a movable guide.
Further improving running accuracy and positioning accuracy - a new type of X that can be achieved
It provides the Y stage.

<Description of Embodiments> Figs. 1 to 3 show an xy stage according to the present invention, and the -M-i of the base 1, which serves as the traveling reference plane, is parallel to the Y-axis direction and opposite to each other. Vertical guide part 2 on the inner surface
1.21. A horizontal guide portion 22 that projects inward at the upper end.
22, the fixed guides 2, 2a are fixedly attached, and the vertically movable kite 3 is engaged between both guides 2. 4. The drive device 4 has each fixed guide 2, 2
Linear motor yokes 41, 41 are arranged along a,
Linear motor coils 42 and 42 are attached to both ends of the movable guide 3 via arms 3I, respectively, to constitute a linear motor. At both ends of the movable guide 3, orifices communicating with a pressurized air source are provided facing the traveling reference plane 1J of the base 1, the vertical 11ζ guide portion 21, and the horizontal guide portion 22 of the fixed guides 2, 2a, and the air bearing 32 is connected to the movable guide 3. constitutes .32;
It moves along the fixed guides 2, 2a without contacting the guides 2, 2a and the travel reference surface 11. The vertically movable guide 3 is provided with a guide window hole 33 along the 112-hand direction, the so-called X-axis direction. The window hole 33 has 1-1
A vertical guide portion 34, 34 and a horizontal guide portion 35 protruding inwardly at the north end are formed on the inner surface facing the . The horizontal movable guide 5 is a vertical guide portion 34.34 of the window hole 33.
A stage 6 protruding from a window hole is integrally formed between the sliding portion 5 and the sliding portion 5 which fit between the vertical movable guide 3 and the horizontal movable guide 5. ing. The drive device 7 includes a linear motor yoke 71.71 disposed along the upper and lower side edges of the vertically movable guide 3, and a linear motor coil 72 connected to the horizontally movable guide 5 via an arm 52, 52 that protrudes up and down. .72 is deployed to constitute a linear motor. The sliding portion 51 of the horizontally movable guide 5 has orifices communicating with a pressurized air source facing the vertical guide portion 34 and the horizontal guide portion 35 in the window hole 33, respectively. Air bearing 53.5
3, which reciprocates along the window hole 33 with respect to the reference surface 11 and the guide 3 without contacting them.

However, the stage 6 is moved to the target position by the movement of the vertically and horizontally movable guide 3.5 by the operation of the vertical and horizontal drive device ff4:4-+7, and of the force applied to the stage 6, the force directed vertically downward is applied to the base 1. The vertically downward force is supported by the horizontal guide part 35 of the vertically movable guide 3 by the slide part 51, and the vertically movable guide 5 is supported by the horizontal guide part 22 of the fixed guide 2, so that the stage 6 ``-Downward movement and pitching are all (not), and running accuracy is improved.

<Effects of the Invention> As described in ``D'', in the traveling guide of the stage 6, the force applied vertically downward is supported by the base 1, and the force applied to one side vertically is supported by the vertical movable guide 3, and the force applied vertically downward is supported by the vertical movable guide 3. Since the stage 6 is restrained, the running accuracy of the stage 6 is improved by -1, and therefore highly accurate positioning can be realized. Moreover, the present invention engages the horizontal "T" movement guide 5 with the vertically movable guide 3, and the horizontally movable guide 5
Since the stage 6 is configured directly on the stage 6, the overall device can be made smaller and thinner than the conventional stage with a structure in which vertical and horizontal guides intersect. .

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the xy stage of the present invention, and FIG.
Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line C-C, Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B, ff;
Figure 4 is a plan view of the conventional XY stage, and Figure 5 is Figure 4C.
-C line sectional view, S6 is a plan view of another conventional xy stage, and FIG. 7 is a C-C line sectional view of FIG. 1... Base 11... Reference surface 2.2a.
... Fixed guide 3 ... Vertical movable guide 4 ... Vertical axis drive device 5 ... Horizontal movable guide 6 ... Stage 7 ... Horizontal Axis movable guide patent applicant Tateishi Electric Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A base that serves as the reference plane of the XY stage, a pair of fixed guides mounted parallel to each other on the base, a vertically movable guide supported by the fixed guide via an air bearing and capable of reciprocating in the guide direction, It consists of a horizontally movable guide supported by the movable guide via an air bearing and equipped with a stage, a vertical axis drive device linked to the vertically movable guide, and a horizontal axis drive device linked to the horizontal movable guide. This is an XY stage characterized by supporting the vertical load in addition to the structure F'J motion guide and the base.