Automatic synthesis of supervisory control systems

Sequential composition is an effective supervisory control method for addressing control problems in nonlinear dynamical systems. It executes a set of controllers sequentially to achieve a control specification that cannot be realized by a single controller. Sequential composition focuses on the interaction between a collection of pre-designed...

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.

Mechatronics and Control Solutions for Increasing the Imaging Speed in Atomic Force Microscopy

This research is focused on improving the mechatronic design and control strategies of Atomic Force Microscopes (AFM) in order to increase the imaging speed of these instruments, while maintaining the resolution and accuracy of AFM. Different techniques are developed which have led to a faster lateral scanning speed, higher bandwidth control of...

Architecture-Centric Design: Modeling and Applications to Control Architecture Generation

Design activities, including control design, are becoming increasingly difficult due to a corresponding increase in product and product development complexity. Model-based (or driven) engineering, development and design have become common concepts related to modern complex product development practices. However, it is argued here that currently...

Mechatronic Design of an Electromagnetically Levitated Linear Positioning System using Novel Multi-DoF Actuators

The development of contactless electromagnetically levitated positioning systems is stimulated by the demand for vacuum compatible production machines. These vacuum compatible machines are used e.g. in the development of faster semiconductor chips and optical discs with larger data capacity. A novel vacuum compatible actuator is the IU-module....

Mechatronic design of a magnetically suspended rotating platform

Inkjet printhead performance enhancement by feedforward input design based on two-port modeling

Inkjet technology is an important key-technology from an industrial point of view. Its ability to deposit various types of materials on a substrate in certain patterns makes it a very versatile technology. Though the performance criteria imposed by today's applications are quite tight already, future performance requirements will be even more...