JP2017013210A - Biaxial positioning stage apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

Kind Code: A1 A two-axis positioning stage device is provided in which a linear motion guide device is employed to guide a stage in the moving direction to maintain rigidity and reduce manufacturing costs. A two-axis positioning stage device (10) includes a fixed frame (1), a moving frame (2) assembled in the fixed frame (1) through an X-axis linear guide device (4) so as to be slidable in the X-axis direction, A stage 3 assembled slidably in the Y-axis direction via a Y-axis linear motion guide device 7 arranged at the same height as the X-axis linear motion guide device 4 within the frame of the moving frame 2; An X-axis driving device 5 for driving the moving frame 2 with respect to the frame 1 in the X-axis direction and a Y-axis driving device 8 for driving the stage 3 with respect to the moving frame 2 in the Y-axis direction are provided. [Selection drawing] Fig. 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a biaxial positioning stage device.

  When a biaxial positioning stage device is configured using a linear motion guide device, a structure in which the respective axis units are stacked one above the other is generally used. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the first linear motion guide device 104 is provided on the base 101, and the plate 102 that moves in the one axial direction by driving the motor 105 is provided on the first linear motion guide device 104. Provide. A second linear motion guide device 107 is provided on the plate 102 in a direction orthogonal to one axial direction, and a stage 103 that is moved in the orthogonal direction by driving a motor 108 is mounted on the plate 102 (hereinafter, “ Also referred to as “stacked arrangement structure”).

When the biaxial positioning stage device is configured in a stacked arrangement structure, since the height from the base 101 to the upper surface of the stage 103 is high, the pitching accuracy is adversely affected, and this influence causes the positioning accuracy to deteriorate.
On the other hand, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a positioning device with a reduced height. In the technique described in this document, a static pressure gas bearing that is not constrained in the X and Y directions is adopted, and the biaxial drive device can be arranged at the same height.

JP-A-9-155665

However, in the case of the positioning device described in Patent Document 1, since the static pressure gas bearing is adopted, the rigidity in the moving direction of each axis is weak, and the use of the static pressure gas bearing is costly. There is.
Therefore, the present invention has been made paying attention to such problems, and while maintaining the height low, a linear motion guide device is used for guiding each axis to maintain rigidity and reduce the manufacturing cost. It is an object to provide a biaxial positioning stage device that can be reduced.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, a biaxial positioning stage device according to an aspect of the present invention includes a fixed frame, and a sliding movement in one axial direction through the first linear motion guide device in the frame of the fixed frame. A movable frame that can be assembled, and a direction perpendicular to the one axial direction via a second linear motion guide device arranged at the same height as the first linear motion guide device in the frame of the movable frame A stage that can be slidably moved in another axial direction, a first drive device that drives the movable frame in the one axial direction relative to the fixed frame, and the stage that moves relative to the movable frame. And a second drive device for driving in another axial direction.

In the present specification, a direction perpendicular to the one axial direction and the other axial direction is defined as a “height direction”. That is, when one axial direction is the X direction and the other axial direction is the Y direction, the Z direction orthogonal to these is the “height direction”.
According to the biaxial positioning stage device of one aspect of the present invention, the moving frame is disposed within the frame of the fixed frame, the stage is further disposed within the frame of the moving frame, and the fixed frame and the moving frame are connected to each other. It is slidably connected via one linear motion guide device, and the movable frame and the stage are slid via a second linear motion guide device arranged at the same height as the first linear motion guide device. Since the two-axis linear motion guide devices are arranged on the same plane, the height from the base fixed frame to the upper surface of the stage can be kept low (hereinafter referred to as “planar arrangement”). Also called "structure"). Therefore, the planar arrangement structure of the present invention enables operation with better pitching accuracy than the case of the laminated arrangement structure. Further, by using the linear motion guide device for both the two shafts, the manufacturing cost can be reduced as compared with the case of using the static pressure gas bearing while maintaining high rigidity that cannot be achieved by the static pressure gas bearing.

  Here, in the biaxial positioning stage device according to an aspect of the present invention, the first linear motion guide device is arranged along the inner surface of the fixed frame and the one axial direction along the one axial direction. The second linear motion guide device is provided at each of two positions between the outer surface of the moving frame, and the second linear motion guide device is arranged on the inner surface of the moving frame along the other axial direction and the other axial direction. It is preferable to be provided at each of two positions between the outer surface of the stage along. Such a configuration is suitable for arranging the two linear motion guide devices on the same plane in a plane arrangement structure.

  In the biaxial positioning stage device according to an aspect of the present invention, the first drive device includes a first drive motor provided on an attachment surface of the fixed frame, and a first drive motor. A first ball screw provided on the mounting surface of the fixed frame so that the first nut moves along the one axial direction when the screw shaft of the first screw is rotated; A first connecting arm that connects the first nut and the moving frame; and the second driving device includes a second driving motor provided on a mounting surface of the moving frame; A second ball screw provided on the mounting surface of the moving frame so that the second nut moves along the other axial direction when the second screw shaft is rotationally driven by the drive motor; A second connecting arm connecting the second nut of the second ball screw and the moving frame; It is preferable. Such a configuration is suitable for mounting a driving device for each axis on a biaxial positioning stage device having a planar arrangement structure.

  In the biaxial positioning stage device according to one aspect of the present invention, a first linear scale that acquires position information of the moving frame relative to the fixed frame in the one axial direction, and the other axial direction A second linear scale for acquiring position information of the stage with respect to the moving frame, and a controller for controlling the first and second driving devices by feeding back position information acquired by the two linear scales. It is preferable to provide. With such a configuration, position information of each axis can be fed back and controlled, which is preferable for enabling an operation with extremely small error.

  In the biaxial positioning stage device according to one aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that either one of the one axial direction or the other axial direction is arranged vertically. Such a configuration is suitable, for example, when the biaxial positioning stage device according to one aspect of the present invention is used while being hung on a wall.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to maintain rigidity while reducing the manufacturing cost while using a linear guide device for guiding each axis while keeping the height low.

1 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a biaxial positioning stage device according to an aspect of the present invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of 1st embodiment of the biaxial positioning stage apparatus which concerns on 1 aspect of this invention, the figure (a) shows the outer fixed frame disassembled, and the figure (b) shows an inner moving frame. Is shown disassembled. It is explanatory drawing of 1st embodiment of the biaxial positioning stage apparatus which concerns on 1 aspect of this invention, The figure (a) is a top view, (b) is a front view, (c) is a right view. It is explanatory drawing of 2nd embodiment of the biaxial positioning stage apparatus which concerns on 1 aspect of this invention, The figure (a) is a top view, (b) is a front view, (c) is a right view. It is a perspective view explaining one Embodiment of the usage condition of the biaxial positioning stage apparatus which concerns on 1 aspect of this invention, The figure has shown the figure which looked at the attitude | position which has arrange | positioned the Y-axis vertically from the back surface side. It is a perspective view which shows an example of the conventional biaxial positioning stage apparatus, In the same figure, the state which decomposed | disassembled one drive part laminated | stacked on the upper part is shown in figure.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a biaxial positioning stage device according to an aspect of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate. The drawings are schematic. For this reason, it should be noted that the relationship between the thickness and the planar dimension, the ratio, and the like are different from the actual ones, and the dimensional relationship and the ratio are different between the drawings. Further, the following embodiments exemplify apparatuses and methods for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, and the technical idea of the present invention is the material, shape, structure, and arrangement of components. Etc. are not specified in the following embodiments.

[First embodiment]
As shown in the perspective view of FIG. 1, the biaxial positioning stage device 10 of the first embodiment includes a rectangular frame-shaped fixed frame 1, a rectangular frame-shaped moving frame 2 assembled inside the fixed frame 1, and movement And a stage 3 having a rectangular flat plate shape that is assembled inside the frame 2. The upper surface of the stage 3 is a flat surface, and the upper surface of the stage 3 is a mounting surface for a workpiece or the like. In the example of the first embodiment, the upper surface of the stage 3 is arranged horizontally.

  The moving frame 2 is disposed in a space inside the fixed frame 1 and is connected to the fixed frame 1 via a pair of X-axis linear motion guide devices 4 extending in the X direction. The pair of X-axis linear motion guide devices 4 are respectively provided at two positions between the inner surface of the fixed frame 1 along the X-axis direction and the outer surface of the movable frame 2 along the X-axis direction. Yes. An X-axis drive device 5 that drives the moving frame 2 in the X-axis direction relative to the fixed frame 1 is provided on the upper surface of the fixed frame 1, and the moving frame 2 is moved in the X-direction by driving the X-axis drive device 5. The slide can be moved.

  The stage 3 is arranged in a space inside the moving frame 2 and is connected to the moving frame 2 via a pair of Y-axis linear motion guide devices 7 extending in the Y direction. The pair of Y-axis linear motion guide devices 7 is provided at each of two positions between the inner surface of the moving frame 2 along the Y-axis direction and the outer surface of the stage 3 along the Y-axis direction. . On the upper surface of the moving frame 2, a Y-axis driving device 8 that drives the stage 3 in the Y-axis direction with respect to the moving frame 2 is provided, and the stage 3 slides in the Y-direction by driving the Y-axis driving device 8. It can be moved.

As shown in an exploded perspective view in FIG. 2, the fixed frame 1 and the moving frame 2 are formed in a rectangular frame shape by combining four frames having a rectangular cross section.
Specifically, the fixed frame 1 is disposed along the X direction as shown in FIG. 1A, and the main frame 11 on which the X-axis drive device 5 is provided on the upper surface, and both ends of the main frame 11 One end is fixed to each of the two vertical frames 12, 12 arranged along the Y direction orthogonal to the main frame 11, and the two vertical frames 12, 12 are arranged along the X direction in parallel with the main frame 11. And a horizontal frame 13 fixed so as to connect the other ends of the vertical frames 12 and 12 of the book.

  As shown in FIG. 2B, the moving frame 2 is arranged along the Y direction, and has a main frame 21 on which the Y-axis drive device 8 is provided on the upper surface, and one end at each end of the main frame 21. Is fixed, and two horizontal frames 23 and 23 arranged along the X direction orthogonal to the main frame 21, and arranged along the Y direction in parallel with the main frame 21 and two It has the vertical frame 22 fixed so that the other end of the horizontal frames 23 and 23 may be connected.

  The fixed frame 1 and the movable frame 2 correspond to the stroke required in the X direction between the two inner surfaces along the Y direction of the fixed frame 1 and the two outer surfaces along the Y direction of the movable frame 2. The dimensions of each frame are set so that the separation distance can be increased. Further, the moving frame 2 and the stage 3 correspond to strokes required in the Y direction between the two inner surfaces along the X direction of the moving frame 2 and the two outer surfaces along the X direction of the stage 3. The dimensions of the frame of the moving frame 2 and the dimensions of each side of the rectangular shape of the stage 3 are set so that a separation distance can be obtained.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the upper surface of the main frame 11 of the fixed frame 1 is an attachment surface 1 m of the X-axis drive device 5, and the X-axis drive device 5 is arranged on the attachment surface 1 m on the fixed frame 1. The X-axis drive motor 51 provided and the nut 56b is provided on the mounting surface 1m on the fixed frame 1 so that the nut 56b moves along the X-axis direction when the screw shaft 56a is rotationally driven by the drive motor 51. An X-axis ball screw 56 and an X-axis connecting arm 57 that connects the nut 56 b of the ball screw 56 and the moving frame 2 are provided. The drive motor 51 is fixed to a motor housing 52 provided on the mounting surface 1m.

  In the ball screw 56, the axis of the screw shaft 56a is horizontally disposed along the X direction, and the screw shaft 56a is rotatably supported by the two bearing blocks 54 and 55. A base end portion of the screw shaft 56 a is connected to an output shaft of the drive motor 51 via a coupling 53 in the motor housing 52. The drive motor 51 is, for example, a servo motor or a stepping motor, and is connected to the control unit 30 via a signal line so that signals and electric power necessary for driving and position control of the X axis can be exchanged with the control unit 30. It has become.

  The pair of X-axis linear motion guide devices 4 includes an X-axis guide rail 41 and two Xs straddling the X-axis guide rail 41 so as to be slidable in the X direction via rolling elements (not shown). Each has a shaft slider 42. In this example, the X-axis guide rail 41 is horizontally fixed to each of the two outer surfaces along the X direction of the movable frame 2, and the two X-axis sliders 42 are two along the X direction of the fixed frame 1. It is fixed to each inner surface.

  Further, as shown in the figure, the upper surface of the main frame 21 of the moving frame 2 is a mounting surface 2m of the Y-axis driving device 8, and the Y-axis driving device 8 is mounted on the moving frame 2. Provided on the mounting surface 2m on the moving frame 2 so that when the screw shaft 86a is rotationally driven by the drive motor 81, the nut 86b moves along the Y-axis direction. And a Y-axis connecting arm 87 that connects the nut 86 b of the ball screw 86 and the moving frame 2. The drive motor 81 is fixed to a motor housing 82 provided on the mounting surface 2m.

  In the ball screw 86, the axis of the screw shaft 86a is disposed horizontally along the Y direction, and the screw shaft 86a is rotatably supported by the two bearing blocks 84 and 85. A base end portion of the screw shaft 86 a is connected to an output shaft of the drive motor 81 through a coupling 83 in the motor housing 82. The drive motor 81 is, for example, a servo motor or a stepping motor, and is connected to the control unit 30 via a signal line so that signals and electric power necessary for Y-axis driving and position control can be exchanged with the control unit 30. It has become.

  The pair of Y-axis linear motion guide devices 7 includes a Y-axis guide rail 71 and two Ys laid across the Y-axis guide rail 71 so as to be slidable in the Y direction via rolling elements (not shown). Each has a shaft slider 72. In this example, the Y-axis guide rail 71 is horizontally fixed to each of the two outer surfaces along the Y direction of the stage 3, and the two Y-axis sliders 72 are two inner surfaces along the Y direction of the moving frame 2. It is fixed to each side.

Next, operations and effects of the biaxial positioning stage apparatus 10 will be described.
In this biaxial positioning stage device 10, a rectangular frame-shaped moving frame 2 is disposed within a rectangular frame-shaped fixed frame 1, and a rectangular plate-shaped stage 3 is disposed within the moving frame 2. The fixed frame 1 and the moving frame 2 are slidably connected via the X-axis linear motion guide device 4 horizontally arranged in the X direction, and the moving frame 2 and the stage 3 are horizontally arranged in the Y direction. Since the Y-axis linear guide 7 is slidably connected and the X and Y axes can be driven by the X-axis drive device 5 and the Y-axis drive device 8, the X-axis drive device 5, the movable frame 2 can be moved in the X direction with respect to the fixed frame 1 via the X-axis linear guide device 4, and the stage 3 can be moved by driving the Y-axis drive device 8. The frame 2 can move in the Y direction via the Y-axis linear motion guide device 7. That is, the stage 3 can move in the X direction and the Y direction via the moving frame 2 with respect to the fixed frame 1.

  Since the pair of X-axis linear motion guide devices 4 and the pair of Y-axis linear motion guide devices 7 are arranged in the form of a cross on the four side surfaces of the moving frame 2, FIGS. ), In the state where the fixed frame 1, the movable frame 2 and the stage 3 are assembled to each other, the two sets of X-axis linear motion guide devices 4 horizontally arranged in the X direction are arranged horizontally in the Y direction. The two sets of Y-axis linear motion guides 7 are located at the same height, and the overall height of the apparatus can be kept low.

  That is, according to the two-axis positioning stage device 10, the X-axis linear motion guide device 4 and the Y-axis linear motion guide device 7 are arranged at the same height. By arranging the two linear motion guide devices on the same plane, the moving frame 2 is within the height range of the stage 3 and the fixed frame 1, so that the height of the entire biaxial positioning stage device is substantially reduced. The height of the stage 3 and the fixed frame 1 can be suppressed. Therefore, according to this biaxial positioning stage device 10, the overall height of the device can be reduced, and therefore, it is possible to operate with better pitching accuracy than in the case of the above-described stacked arrangement structure. . Further, by using the linear motion guide device for both the two shafts, the manufacturing cost can be reduced as compared with the case of using the static pressure gas bearing while maintaining high rigidity that cannot be achieved by the static pressure gas bearing.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
The two-axis positioning stage device 10 of the second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a linear scale is further provided for each axis for the purpose of full-closed control of the position information of the X axis and the Y axis. ing. Since other configurations are the same, differences will be described below, and descriptions of configurations similar to those of the first embodiment will be omitted.
As shown in the figure, the biaxial positioning stage device 10 of the second embodiment includes an X-direction control linear scale 6 that acquires position information of the moving frame 2 relative to the fixed frame 1 in the X-axis direction, and a Y-axis. The Y-direction control linear scale 9 for acquiring the position information of the stage 3 relative to the moving frame 2 in the direction, and the X-axis driving device 6 by feeding back the position information acquired by the two linear scales 6 and 9; And a control unit 30 that controls the Y-axis drive device 8.

  The X-direction control linear scale 6 includes a scale body 6a and a scanning detector 6b disposed to face the scale surface of the scale body 6a. The scale main body 6a is mounted on the upper surface of the moving frame 2 along the X direction. It is mounted in the position. The scanning detector 6b is mounted on the upper surface of the fixed frame 1 so that its detection portion faces the scale surface of the scale body 6a. In this example, the scanning detector 6b is mounted at the center position of the horizontal frame 13 of the fixed frame 1. ing. The scanning detector 6 b is connected to the control unit 30 via a signal line, and outputs the acquired position information of the moving frame 2 to the control unit 30.

The linear scale 9 for Y direction control has a scale main body 9a and a scanning detector 9b arranged to face the scale surface of the scale main body 9a. The scale main body 9a is mounted on the upper surface of the moving frame 2 along the Y direction. In this example, the scale main body 9a is arranged on the upper surface of the vertical frame 22 of the moving frame 2 on the side opposite to the side to which the connecting arm 87 is connected. It is mounted in the position.
The scanning detector 9b is mounted on the upper surface of the stage 3 so that its detection portion faces the scale surface of the scale body 9a. In this example, the upper surface of the stage 3 on the opposite side of the stage 3 to the vertical frame 22 is mounted. At the center of the Y direction. The scanning detector 9b is connected to the control unit 30 via a signal line, and outputs the acquired position information of the stage 3 to the control unit 30.

In addition, as each linear scale 6 and 9, you may employ | adopt any of measuring methods, such as an optical measurement type | formula, a magnetic measurement type | formula, a laser measurement type | formula, and a capacitance measurement type | formula, Either an incremental method or an absolute method may be adopted.
According to the biaxial positioning stage apparatus 10 of the second embodiment, the position information of each axis can be fed back and controlled by the linear scales 6 and 9 to the control unit 30, so that an operation with extremely small error is possible. In particular, with this two-axis positioning stage device 10, in consideration of mounting a workpiece on the stage 3, the linear scales 6 and 9 for the XY axes can be installed on the same plane as the workpiece installation surface of the stage 3. Therefore, it is suitable as a biaxial positioning stage device that enables an operation with extremely small error.

  As described above, according to the biaxial positioning stage device 10 shown in the embodiment of the present invention, while maintaining the height low, the linear motion guide device is used for guiding each axis, and the rigidity is maintained and manufactured. Cost can be reduced. The biaxial positioning stage device according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the example in which the upper surface of the stage 3 is horizontally disposed has been described. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the biaxial use posture of the biaxial positioning stage device according to the present invention is not particularly limited. That is, in the case of the two-axis positioning stage device according to the present invention, it has a thin structure and does not use a gas bearing as in the positioning device described in Patent Document 1 described above, so that either one of the shafts is set vertically. It can also be used over a wall.

  That is, as shown in another example of the use posture in FIG. 5, of the two axes of the biaxial positioning stage device 10, for example, the X axis is an axis that faces the horizontal direction, and the Y axis is the vertical direction, for example. It may be arranged as an axis. In this case, the Y-axis becomes the Z-axis that faces in the vertical direction, and the Y-axis linear motion guide devices 7 located on the left and right side surfaces of the stage 3 function as the Z-axis linear motion guide device. Since the drive device 8 functions as a Z-axis drive device and the Y-axis drive device 8 is driven to move the stage 3 in the Z direction, the stage 3 is positioned and controlled on the XZ plane. Can do.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Fixed frame 2 Moving frame 3 Stage 4 X axis linear motion guide apparatus (1st linear motion guide apparatus)
5 X-axis drive device (first drive device)
6 Linear scale (for X direction control) (first linear scale)
7 Y-axis linear motion guide device (second linear motion guide device)
8 Y-axis drive device (second drive device)
9 Linear scale (for Y direction control) (second linear scale)
10 Biaxial positioning stage device 11 Main frame (of fixed frame) 12 Vertical frame (of fixed frame) 13 Horizontal frame (of fixed frame) 21 Main frame of (moving frame) 22 Vertical frame of (moving frame) 23 (Moving frame) ) Horizontal frame 30 Control unit 41 X-axis guide rail 42 X-axis slider 51 (for X-axis) drive motor (first drive motor)
52 Motor housing 53 (for X axis) Coupling 54 (for X axis) Bearing block (for X axis) 55 Bearing block (for X axis) 56 Ball screw (for X axis) (first ball screw)
57 Connecting arm (for the X axis) (first connecting arm)
71 Y-axis guide rail 72 Y-axis slider 81 (for Y-axis) drive motor (second drive motor)
82 Motor housing (for Y axis) 83 Coupling (for Y axis) 84 Bearing block (for Y axis) 85 Bearing block (for Y axis) 86 Ball screw (for Y axis) (second ball screw)
87 Connecting arm (for Y axis) (second connecting arm)

Claims (5)

  A fixed frame, a moving frame assembled in the fixed frame through a first linear motion guide device so as to be slidable in one axial direction, and the first linear motion guide in the frame of the movable frame A stage assembled so as to be slidable in another axial direction orthogonal to the one axial direction via a second linear motion guide device arranged at the same height as the device, and the stage with respect to the fixed frame A biaxial device comprising: a first driving device that drives a moving frame in the one axial direction; and a second driving device that drives the stage in the other axial direction with respect to the moving frame. Positioning stage device. The first linear motion guide device is provided at each of two positions between an inner surface of the fixed frame along the one axial direction and an outer surface of the movable frame along the one axial direction. And
The second linear motion guide device is provided at each of two positions between an inner surface of the moving frame along the other axial direction and an outer surface of the stage along the other axial direction. The biaxial positioning stage apparatus according to claim 1. The first drive device includes a first drive motor provided on an attachment surface of the fixed frame, and a first nut when the first screw shaft is rotationally driven by the first drive motor. A first ball screw provided on the mounting surface of the fixed frame so as to move along the axial direction of the fixed frame, and a first connection connecting the first nut and the moving frame of the first ball screw. With arms,
The second drive device includes: a second drive motor provided on an attachment surface of the moving frame; and a second nut when the second screw shaft is rotationally driven by the second drive motor. A second ball screw provided on the mounting surface of the moving frame so as to move along the axial direction of the moving frame, and a second connection for connecting the second nut and the moving frame of the second ball screw. The biaxial positioning stage apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an arm.   A first linear scale that acquires position information of the moving frame relative to the fixed frame in the one axial direction, and a second linear that acquires position information of the stage relative to the moving frame in the other axial direction The biaxial as described in any one of Claims 1-3 provided with a scale and the control part which feeds back the positional information acquired by these two linear scales, and controls said 1st and 2nd drive device. Positioning stage device.   The biaxial positioning stage device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein either one of the one axial direction or the other axial direction is arranged vertically.

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