Displacement device

A displacement device, comprising:

• a stage;
• a stator, arranged to provide a working region, the stator including a system of magnet blocks that include:
• a plurality of first magnet blocks, each first magnet block including a plurality of first magnets generally linearly elongated in a first direction and arranged next to each other in a second direction generally orthogonal to the first direction, each of the first magnets having a magnetization direction generally orthogonal to the first direction and at least two of the first magnets having magnetization directions that are different from one another;
• and
• a plurality of second magnet blocks, each second magnet block including a plurality of second magnets generally linearly elongated in the second direction and arranged next to each other in the first direction, each of the second magnets having a magnetization direction generally orthogonal to the second direction and at least two of the second magnets having magnetization directions that are different from one another;
• wherein the system of magnet blocks includes a 1-dimensional array containing a row with a plurality of columns, the row containing alternately a column formed by a first magnet block and a column formed by a second magnet block, the row being generally parallel to the first direction and each of the columns being generally parallel to the second direction and wherein at least one of the first magnet blocks has a dimension m1 in the first direction and an adjacent one of the second magnet blocks has a dimension m2 in the first direction;
• wherein the stage is movably arranged next to the stator in a third direction generally orthogonal to both the first direction and the second direction and the stage includes a system of electric coils, including:
• a first coil block including a plurality of electric conductors generally linearly elongated in the first direction and arranged next to each other in the second direction;
• a second coil block including a plurality of electric conductors generally linearly elongated in the second direction and arranged next to each other in the first direction;
• and
• a dimension in the first direction of the first coil block is substantially equal to n(m1+m2), where n=1,2,3, . . . , and a dimension in the first direction of the second coil block is substantially equal to n(m1+m2), where n=1,2,3, . . . ;
• and
• one or more power amplifiers arranged to supply current in the first coil block and in the second coil block and to thereby effect relative movement between the stator and the stage in at least two directions.