The engineering teams at PI have extensive expertise and experience with air bearing technology and multi-axis motion stage systems. The ultra-precision performance of engineered air bearing positioning systems along with their non-wearing nature make them ideal solutions for semiconductor applications involving combined linear and rotational motion.

In the image above, a custom, low profile A-311 Air Bearing Planar XY Motion Table is combined with a high-precision A-621 Series Air Bearing Rotation Stage into a precision XYT assembly.

When more degrees of freedom are required, XY-stages can be combined with a low-profile Z-Tip-Tilt (ZTT) motion module to form 5-axis systems such as the 5-DOF wafer stage for semiconductor metrology applications, shown in the video below. The ZTT module can also be added to XY-Theta stages for 6DOF motion applications.

PI XY-Theta 3-axis stage assemblies make use of ACS Industrial Motion Control components. PI controllers based on ACS use optimized configurations for best applications performance. This includes pre-configured systems with optimized system parameter information ready for out-of-the box operation-including motion synchronized device triggering through Laser Control Module (LCM) / Laser Control Interface (LCI) hardware as well as functional safety features like Safe Torque Off.

In many applications, compactness is critical for tool integration. The V-508 low profile linear stage / V-610 low profile rotary stage direct-drive, multi-axis motion system, is one example of a lightweight, high-performance 3-axis assembly that is extremely low profile, highly compact, and also technologically flexible to optimally address both rapid step and settle as well as smooth coordinated scanning applications with error tolerances ranging from nanometers to microns.

High-throughput industrial automation applications of precision motion typically involve repetitive moves with higher loads and accelerations. Here, the V-817 Series Precision Automation Stage Assembly with a direct drive rotary table, shown above, provides high acceleration and high duty cycle motion with efficient 3-phase linear motors and torque motors offering high continuous and peak force. Stiff stage construction and design using aircraft grade aluminum alloys provide stiffness to handle high impulse over short time durations with suitable precision. Precision truck and rail bearings are implemented for both load characteristics and long operating lifetimes. The integrated high-speed direct drive rotary stage with high torque output is used for dynamic step-settle and scanning performance.

PI XY-Theta automation systems are scaled specific to the application using travel, performance, load, and space criteria. The solutions shown here are a small cross-section of available options to address XYT motion and show the diverse array of motor, bearing, encoder, and design elements that have contributed to making PI the market leader in precision motion.

The XY-Theta stage solutions shown in this article represent a diverse array of proprietary technologies developed in-house at PI, including motors, encoders, bearings as well as materials and design.  PI is a global leader in multi-axis precision motion control, pioneering high precision linear stages, rotary stages and multi-axis stages for numerous high technology applications. We have been continuously improving our high precision XY-Theta multi-axis motion systems and have helped many customers in semiconductor manufacturing, laser materials processing, and medical device manufacturing achieve higher throughput and quality.