Displacement devices and methods for fabrication, use and control of same

A method for effecting displacement between a stator and a moveable stage, the method comprising:

• providing a stator comprising a plurality of elongated coils shaped to provide a working region wherein traces of the coils are generally linearly oriented, the plurality of elongated coils comprising:
• a first plurality of coil traces distributed over a first layer at a corresponding first stator Z-location, the first plurality of coil traces generally linearly elongated in a first stator direction in the first layer;
• and
• a second plurality of coil traces distributed over a second layer at a corresponding second stator Z-location, the second plurality of coil traces generally linearly elongated in a second stator direction in the second layer, the second stator direction non-parallel with the first stator direction;
• the first and second layers overlapping one another in a stator Z-direction in the working region, the stator Z-direction generally orthogonal to both the first stator direction and the second stator direction;
• and
• providing a moveable stage comprising a plurality of magnet arrays, the plurality of magnet arrays comprising:
• a first magnet array comprising a plurality of first magnetization segments generally linearly elongated in a first stage direction, each first magnetization segment having a magnetization direction generally orthogonal to the first stage 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 generally linearly elongated in a second stage direction non-parallel to the first stage direction, each second magnetization segment having a magnetization direction generally orthogonal to the second stage direction and at least two of the second magnetization segments having magnetization directions that are different from one another;
• a third magnet array comprising a plurality of third magnetization segments generally linearly elongated in the first stage direction, each third magnetization segment having a magnetization direction generally orthogonal to the first stage direction and at least two of the third magnetization segments having magnetization directions that are different from one another;
• and
• wherein the first and third magnet arrays are offset from one another in the first stage direction and spaced apart from one another in a stage direction generally orthogonal to the first stage direction by a space;
• and
• selectively driving current in the first and second pluralities of coil traces to thereby effect relative movement between the stator and the moveable stage.