Positioning Stage
Integrated 6-DoF Lorentz Actuator
Design and realization of a 6-DoF actuator system that can be mounted at the tip of a robot arm and can align a precision measurement instrument to its target to perform surface metrology in an industrial environment. The industrial applications are the AFM and white light interferometer measurement of the surfaces of wafers, solar cells and moulds for plastics.
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- PhD student: Deng, R., MSc (Ruijun)
- Supervisor: ir. J.W. Spronck
- Promotor: prof.ir. R.H. Munnig Schmidt
- Duration: 2010-2014
Design and realization of a 6-DoF actuator system that can be mounted at the tip of a robot arm and can align a precision measurement instrument to its target to perform surface metrology in an industrial environment. The industrial applications are the AFM and white light interferometer measurement of the surfaces of wafers, solar cells and moulds for plastics.
The work description of the EU project aim4np is as follows:
Knowing the mechanical properties of workpieces and machine-tools also at the nanometre scale is an absolute necessity for efficient nanoscale production. Current technologies are lacking the flexibility and robustness needed for measuring such key parameters as topography, morphology, roughness, adhesion or micro- and nano-hardness directly in a production environment. This hinders rapid development cycles and a resource efficient process and quality control. The following technology and methodology gaps for addressing these challenges were identified: efficient disturbance rejection and systems stability; robustness and longevity of probes; short time to data (i.e. high-speed measurements and data handling); and traceability of the measurement. The project aim4np strives at solving this problem by combining measuring techniques developed in nanoscience with novel control techniques from mechatronics and procedures from traceable metrology.
The main deliverable will be a fast robotic metrology device and operational procedures for measuring with nanometre resolution and in a traceable way the topography, morphology, roughness, micro- and nano-hardness, and adhesive properties of large samples in a production environment.
Related projects
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- Magnetically Levitated Slider with nm-Precision (Dick Laro, poster (PDF))
- 6 DOF Electromagnetic Suspended Slide System (Dick Laro, poster (PDF))
Supported by
China Scholarship Council
Electromagnetically Levitated Positioning Systems
The development of contactless electromagnetically levitated positioning systems is stimulated by the demand for vacuum compatible production machines. These vacuum compatible machines are used e.g. in the development of faster semiconductor chips and optical discs with larger data capacity. A novel vacuum compatible actuator is the IU-module. The IU-module allows wireless actuation in multiple degrees of freedom. The suspension force of this actuator is generated by permanent magnets allowing the force to be created with low power dissipation. In vacuum environments, low power dissipation is often a requirement due to the lack of convective cooling. In this research, the potential of this novel Multi-DoF actuator is studied by integrating it into nanometre resolution contactless linear position positioning system, the Slider. This Slider has to fulfill the specifications of a linear positioning system used in a modern optical disc mastering production machine. In its most critical direction, the developed Slider using the IU-modules realized a position stability of 0.12 nm (standard deviation) with a control strategy acting on the rigid body coordinates. When additional actuation capabilities of the IU-module were used, the excitation of flexible modes in the Slider could be reduced. This allowed the positioning performance of the Slider to be improved to 58 pm (standard deviation). The challenges addressed in the research are the electromagnetic design of the actuator itself, as well as the integral mechatronic design and control of the linear positioning system.
