Development of submicron precision three-dimensional low cross-interference air-floating motion stage

Fan Zhang; Qiangxian Huang; Yunsheng Ye; Baolin Cheng; Zuyang Zhang; Rongjun Cheng; Liansheng Zhang; Hongli Li

doi:10.1063/5.0147622

Development of submicron precision three-dimensional low cross-interference air-floating motion stage

Rev Sci Instrum. 2023 Jun 1;94(6):065013. doi: 10.1063/5.0147622.

Authors

Fan Zhang^{1

2}, Qiangxian Huang^{1

2}, Yunsheng Ye^{1

2}, Baolin Cheng^{1

2}, Zuyang Zhang^{1

2}, Rongjun Cheng^{1

2}, Liansheng Zhang^{1

2}, Hongli Li^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ School of Instrument Science and Opto-electronic Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, China.
² Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Measuring Theory and Precision Instrument, School of Instrument Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, Anhui, China.

PMID: 37862531
DOI: 10.1063/5.0147622

Abstract

To meet the high requirements for positioning accuracy and multiple dimensions of positioning systems in the fields of precision measurement and precision machining, a new submicron-precision three-dimensional (3D) low cross-interference positioning system is designed and fabricated in this paper. The 3D motion stage mainly includes a mechanical structure, a support and guide system, and a driving system. The Abbe offset error is eliminated by adopting a coplanar structure in the X and Y directions, thus minimizing the mutual cross-interference of the motion stage. The X and Y motion stages are driven by a ball screw pair and an alternating current servo motor, which are supported and guided by an air-floating rail and slider. Moreover, the X and Y air-floating stages adopt a lateral structure and double rails, respectively. The Z-motion stage is directly driven by a high-precision piezoelectric motor. In addition, the system achieves high-precision motion by using the dual-loop control technology of secondary feedback combined with the high-resolution control characteristics of the servo motor. The performance of the positioning system is evaluated through a series of verification experiments. Results show that the stroke of the positioning system of the 3D air-floating motion stage can reach 100 × 100 × 100 mm3, and the repeated positioning accuracy is better than 0.41 μm (k = 2, k is defined by the International Organization for Standardization as the coverage factor). The maximum cross-interference of the X-stage is 180 nm, and the Y-stage reaches 320 nm when running with a full stroke of 100 mm in the Z-direction, demonstrating good repeatability, stable running, and high straightness. The submicron-precision 3D air-floating motion stage developed in this paper can be used as a suitable solution for coordinate measuring machines, microlithography, and micromachining applications when combined with an additional nanoprecision microstage.