Positioning system using surface pattern recognition and interpolation

• Main Authors: Wells Jonathan K, Binnard Michael, Coon Paul Derek, Rosa Matthew
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 08.08.2017
• Subjects: APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR; ARRANGEMENTS FOR MEASURING TWO OR MORE VARIABLES NOT COVEREDIN A SINGLE OTHER SUBCLASS; CINEMATOGRAPHY; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER; DYNAMO-ELECTRIC MACHINES; ELECTRICITY; ELECTROGRAPHY; GENERATION; HOLOGRAPHY; MATERIALS THEREFOR; MEASURING; MEASURING NOT SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR A SPECIFIC VARIABLE; MEASURING OR TESTING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; PHOTOGRAPHY; PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES,e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTORDEVICES; PHYSICS; TARIFF METERING APPARATUS; TESTING

A stage assembly for positioning a device along a first axis, the stage assembly comprising: a base; a stage that retains the device and moves above the base; a mover assembly that moves the stage along the first axis relative to the base; a first sensor system that monitors the movement of the stage along the first axis, the first sensor system generating a first signal, the first sensor system having a first sensor accuracy; a second sensor system that monitors the movement of the stage along the first axis, the second sensor system having a second sensor accuracy that is different from the first sensor accuracy of the first sensor system, the second sensor generating a second signal; and a control system that controls the mover assembly using at least one of the first sensor and the second signal.