Displacement devices, moveable stages for displacement devices and methods for fabrication, use and control of same

A displacement device for moving a moveable stage relative to a stator, the displacement device comprising:

• a stator comprising:
• an x-trace layer comprising a plurality of electrically conductive x-traces which extend generally linearly in a stator-x direction;
• a y-trace layer comprising a plurality of electrically conductive y-traces which extend generally linearly in a stator-y direction;
• the x-trace layer and the y-trace layer overlapping one another in a stator-z direction;
• the stator-x direction and the stator-y direction generally orthogonal to one another and the stator-z direction generally orthogonal to both the stator-x and stator-y directions;
• a moveable stage comprising:
• a first magnet array comprising a plurality of first magnetization segments linearly elongated in a stage-x direction, each first magnetization segment having a corresponding magnetization direction generally orthogonal to the stage-x direction and at least two of the first magnetization segments having magnetization directions that are different from one another;
• and
• a second magnet array comprising a plurality of second magnetization segments linearly elongated in the stage-x direction, each second magnetization segment having a corresponding magnetization direction generally orthogonal to the stage-x direction and at least two of the second magnetization segments having magnetization directions that are different from one another;
• and
• wherein corresponding edges of the first and second magnet arrays elongated in the stage-x direction are spaced apart from one another in a stage-y direction generally orthogonal with the stage-x direction by a spacing parameter Sm given by
• S
• m
• =
• N
• S
• ⁢
• λ
• 2
• +
• λ
• 4
• ,
• where NS is a positive integer and λ is a spatial period;
• and
• a controller connected to one or more amplifiers, the controller and the one or more amplifiers configured to drive currents in at least one of the x-traces and the y-traces to move the moveable stage relative to the stator.

A method for using a displacement device to move a moveable stage relative to a stator, the method comprising:

• providing a stator comprising:
• an x-trace layer comprising a plurality of electrically conductive x-traces which extend generally linearly in a stator-x direction across an excitation region;
• a y-trace layer comprising a plurality of electrically conductive y-traces which extend generally linearly in a stator-y direction across the excitation region;
• wherein the x-trace layer and the y-trace layer overlap one another in a stator-z direction over the excitation region;
• wherein the stator-x direction and the stator-y direction are non-parallel to one another and the stator-z direction is generally orthogonal to both the stator-x and stator-y directions;
• providing a moveable stage comprising:
• a first magnet array comprising a plurality of first magnetization segments linearly elongated in a stage-x direction, each first magnetization segment having a corresponding magnetization direction;
• and
• wherein the first magnet array comprises one or more first pairs of adjacent first magnetization segments, each first pair of adjacent first magnetization segments comprising two first magnetization segments adjacent to one another in a stage-y direction and wherein, for each first pair of adjacent first magnetization segments:
• each first magnetization segment in the first pair has a corresponding magnetization direction that is oriented in a direction other than the stage-x direction, the stage-y direction or the stage-z direction wherein the stage-x direction, the stage-y and the stage-z direction are each orthogonal to one another;
• and
• each first magnetization segment in the first pair has a different magnetization direction;
• and
• driving currents in at least one of the x-traces and at least one of the y-traces to move the moveable stage relative to the stator.