Importance

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Abstract

The positioning system, particularly useful for moving a stage mounting a semiconductor wafer for the manufacture of semiconductor devices, provides a lead screw and zero backlash nut for coarse motion of the stage. A thrust member fixedly mounts the nut and the member is flexurally mounted to a housing supporting the stage acting through a piezoelectric motor connection. This action brings the stage in a coarse adjustment mode into the capture range of the piezoelectric motor for fine adjustment by in and out movement of a pusher rod extending from the motor. Flexures allow motion of the thrust member parallel to the lead screw and protects the piezoelectric motor from undesirable side loads. A separate duplicate mechanism is used for each of x-axis and y-axis movements of the housing and stage to bring the stage to a precise position by the respective coarse and fine translationary movements of the lead screw, thrust members and piezoelectric motors.

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First Claim