Koninklijke Philips Corporation N.v.

U.S. Philips Corporation

Franciscus Martinus Roes

Johan Cornelis Compter

Jan Van Eijk

Angelo Cesar Peter De Klerk

Arjan Franklin Bakker

Thomas Petrus Hendricus Warmerdam

Hubert Gerard Jean Joseph Amaury Vroomen

Dennis Erwin Bos

Thomas P Warmerdam

A apparatus processes an object (), such as a semi-conductor wafer at accurately controlled positions. The object () is supported by a working platform () that is moveable along a path. A suspension actuator part () attached to the working platform (), contains a soft magnetic core () with poles facing the surface of a soft magnetic element () on the support structure along the path and a winding () for application of a current to generate a magnetic field that runs through the core () v the poles and returns via the soft magnetic element (). A sensor () senses a measured position of the suspension actuator part () relative to the position reference element (). A control circuit comprises an outer control circuit () and an inner control circuit (). The outer control circuit () receives a sensing result and determines force set point information to regulate the measured position of the actuator part () to a required value. The inner control circuit () receives the force set point information and controls the current to realize a force between the actuator part () and the support structure () according to the force set point information.

Apparatus for processing an object with high position accurancy

A motion damper (1) with a first part (3) and a second part (5) which are mutually displaceable parallel to a damping direction (X). The first part (3) including a permanent magnet system (35), and the second part (5) including an electric actuator coil (25) which is positioned in the magnetic field of the magnet system (35). According to the invention, the motion damper (1) including an electrical amplifier (53) for amplifying an electric current generated in the actuator coil (25) under the influence of a movement of the actuator coil (25) in the magnetic field of the magnet system (35). Since the electric current is amplified, the interaction between the electric current and the magnetic field of the magnet system (35) provides a sufficient electromagnetic damping force with a substantially ideal linear damping characteristic. In a special embodiment, the motion damper including two substantially identical measuring coils (27, 29) which are arranged on either side of the actuator coil (25), and two mutually oppositely magnetized magnet systems (37, 39) for cooperating with the measuring coils (27, 29), while the amplifier (53) supplies the actuator coil (25) with a current which is proportional to a difference between the currents generated in the measuring coils (27, 29). The motion damper (1) is used in a lithographic device (57) for the manufacture of semiconductor substrates (75). The motion damper (1) serves to prevent vibrations of a plate (91) relative to a focusing unit (65) of the lithographic device (57), which plate (91) supports a position measuring system (87) of the lithographic device (57).

Motion damper with electrical amplifier, and lithographic device with

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Eindhoven, Netherlands

Franciscus Martinus Roes