Nikon Corporation

Alton H Phillips

Michael B Binnard

Hideaki Sakamoto

Devices are disclosed for placement between first and second masses for attenuating transmission of motions from one of the masses to the other. A general embodiment of such a device includes a fluid isolator and a lateral fluid bearing situated along a support axis. The fluid isolator includes a housing defining an isolator chamber pressurized with a gas at pressure P. The fluid isolator is situated such that motion of the masses relative to each other along the support axis is at the fluid isolator, and lateral motion is at the lateral fluid bearing. The lateral fluid bearing includes first and second bearing surfaces that are transverse to the support axis. At least one such surface defines three channels: pressure channel, atmospheric pressure channel, and vacuum channel. In order from the isolator chamber, the pressure channel (at pressure P&#x2248;P) is first, the atmospheric pressure channel (at pressure P) is second, and the vacuum channel (at pressure P) is third. From this general embodiment, a number of configurations are possible.

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Saitama, Japan

Alton H Phillips