Air film based contactless planar positioning system with sub-micron precision

This paper discusses a 6DoF positioning system that utilizes a thin air film to directly position flat substrates with sub-micrometer precision. Such a position system can be applied in the production of electronic devices, such as integrated circuits, flat panel displays and solar cells. All these devices are manufactured on a flat base substrate, e.g. a silicon wafer or glass plate. Precision positioning stages are used during exposure, inspection, alignment, etc. We present a planar positioning system where only the product mass is driven and without mechanical contact. This system has two main advantages: a moving mass of 2 to 3 orders of magnitude smaller, since the carrier stage is eliminated and the absence of mechanical contact reduces the chance of contamination or damage.