Integrated 6-DoF Lorentz Actuator with Gravity Compensation for Vibration Isolation in In-Line Surface Metrology

Novel thermal error reduction techniques in temperature domain

The relative importance of thermal errors in precision machines has increased in recent years. The requirements on precision machines such as higher precision and higher productivity become more stringent over product generations. Improved precision of precision machines has increased the importance of thermal errors in precision machines. To...

Active Positioning and Passive Fixation using Friction: in Capacitive Displacement Measurement Applications

Sensor positioning is critical for achieving a measurement accuracy in the picometre range with capacitive displacement sensors. This thesis discusses the contradictory requirements that the sensor alignment application imposes: motion capability combined with extreme displacement stability. In addition, it explores three micrometre scale...

Shape fitting: Application to the estimation of wafer chuck deformation

In wafer scanners - the machines that define the details of electronic chips - there is a need for highly accurate deformation measurements of the machine components during the chip manufacturing process.<br/>This thesis develops an estimation methodology, based on shape fitting principles, that aims at a low estimation error and addresses the...

Air-based contactless actuation system for thin substrates: The concept of using a controlled deformable surface

On the improvement of heterodyne displacement interferometry: Enhancing measurement linearity and system modularity

Lithographic exposure equipment for integrated circuit manufacturing requires ever more accurate position measurement systems, which is currently led by the advent of Extreme UltraViolet (EUV)-lithography machines. This PhD-research describes an interferometric displacement measurement system that possess the potential to foresee in the need for...

Adaptive Optics to Counteract Thermal Aberrations: System Design for EUV-Lithography with Sub-nm Precision

In highly precise systems the thermal expansion of system-parts is of increasing concern, since it can severely compromise its performance at sub-nanometre level. An example of such a system is an Extreme UltraViolet (EUV)-lithography machine that is used in the semi-conductor industry to project the pattern of the chip onto a silicon wafer. In...

Curvature Manipulation of Photomasks - Enhancing the imaging performance of immersion lithography equipment

This thesis investigates the feasibility of a photomask curvature manipulator in immersion lithography systems.

Parallel Robots with Configurable Platforms

This thesis explores the fundamentals of a new class of parallel mechanisms called parallel mechanisms with configurable platforms as well as the design and analysis of parallel robots that are based on those mechanisms. Pure parallel robots are formed by two rigid links, the base and the end-effector, connected in parallel by independent serial...

Slave-side devices for micromanipulation in a haptic teleoperation scenario

Haptic teleoperation is a promising approach for dealing with the manipulation of micro-objects, fabricated in small series or as prototypes, and in processes which are novel or uncertain. Human operators provide their ability to plan, understand and react when faced with unexpected situations during the manipulation process, while robotic...

Model-based Process Monitoring and Control of Micro-milling using Active Magnetic Bearings

The process of micro-milling is a promising technology for the fabrication of micro-parts with arbitrary 3D features in a wide range of materials. However, as a result of the reduced dimensions, the susceptibility of the process for machine tool errors and vibrations is higher, having adverse effects on accuracy and surface quality of the...

Optical metrology techniques for dimensional stability measurements

This thesis work is optical metrology techniques to determine material stability. In addition to displacement interferometry, topics such as periodic nonlinearity, Fabry-Perot interferometry, refractometry, and laser stabilization are covered.

Design of a Micro Milling Setup with an Active Magnetic Bearing Spindle

This thesis describes the design of a micro milling setup with an active magnetic bearing spindle. Micro milling is the mechanical removal of material with sub millimeter tools. An active magnetic bearing typically consists of a set of magnetic actuators, a control loop and position sensors. Active Magnetic Bearings enable a very high rotational...

Thermal Actuation for Precision Micro Motion and Positioning

The primary goal of this research was to study the feasibility of a thermal micro actuator for improved tracking performance of a Hard Disk Drive (HDD), and the feasibility of thermal actuation for precision micro motion and positioning in general. The fast dynamics of the micro actuator allows it to quickly correct position errors and thus...

Micromilling of hardened tool steels

Miniaturized parts are increasingly demanded in different fields like medical, transportation, environmental, and communication industries. In order to manufacture these parts in an economical way, mass replication methods, such as micro injection molding, have to be applied. Currently, Electro Discharge Machining (EDM) process is mainly used to...