ETEL Introduces New Cost-Engineered Motion System Solution

The XYX3T H motion system with VULCANO platform to be showcased at SEMICON trade show this month.

SCHAUMBURG, IL (June 2016) – ETEL is pleased to announce its new XYZ3TH Stacked System as entering the already broad range of ETEL motion systems.  The VULCANO XY part of it is a three-piece-design stacked system results in a cost-engineered solution providing high dynamics, great bidirectional repeatability, and outstanding position stability. It was born as a semiconductor front-end solution but can also serve many other applications.

The XY system is a mechanical bearing-based platform, integrating iron core linear motors, and mainly dedicated to point-to-point applications. The bottom axis is composed of two linear motors controlled in a gantry mode moving on three decoupled linear bearings. The upper linear motor lays on a stiff and light baseplate allowing travels larger than 650 mm.  The stage is easily configurable and can be outfitted with the module (theta, ZTheta, ZThetaTip Tilt) best suited to each individual application. Thanks to the flexibility of the platform, it is perfectly suited for front-end segment with wafer process control applications such as Overlay metrology, Critical Dimension and Thin Film Metrology, as well as back-end applications with advanced packaging related ones, to name but a few.

The mechanical bearings provide high stiffness in the XY plane as well as in the vertical direction, allowing for high accelerations (up to 2.5 g), high speed (up to 2 m/s), great bidirectional repeatability (±250 nm for the X and Y axes) and position stability in the nanometer range.

The linked image shows an XYZ3THconfiguration mounting an ETEL Z3THCombined Module on the upper axis of the XY assembly. The Z3THCombined Module provides 364° Theta rotation, double Z-axes, a coarse one for wafer loading and unloading, and a fine one for focus adjustment, as well as a Tip and Tilt correction over ±0.1°. This Z3THmodule is a nice alternative to piezo based Z actuators, eliminating the hysteresis and non-linearity in open loop while offering better tracking error during movement, repeatability, and move and settle performance yet over much longer travels.

This module can be replaced to best suit the needs of an application, whether that application requires only Z motion, pure Theta motion, or ZT motion without Tip and Tilt correction.  The stroke of the X and Y axes can be adjusted to accommodate a 300mm or 450mm wafer, and to cope with the needs of even longer strokes for panel-based applications. The platform can also be integrated with ETEL’s QuiET Active Isolation System to further improve system performance.

The advantages offered by the ETEL XYZ3THStacked System include, but are not limited to, the following:

• •       Low move and settle times (25 mm ±100 nm in less than 130 ms) @tool point
• •       High dynamics, 25 m/s2 acceleration and 2 m/s speed
• •       Tip and tilt correction over ±0.1° for leveling and for move and settle improvement
• •       Vacuum feed-through to the chuck level
• •       Double Z integration: coarse travel for loading/unloading and fine travel for focus adjustment
• •       Compact footprint
• •       ISO class 1 clean room compatibility
• •       Position stability of ±1nm for X and Y axes, ±1nm for Z axis, and ±1 nm @ 150 mm radius for T axis
• •       Low radial axial and radial runout of ±1 µm
• •       Bidirectional repeatability of ±250 nm for X and Y axes, ±15 nm over 100 µm for Z axis, and ±0.36 arc sec for T axis

For more information, call ETEL Systems Applications Engineer Julius Rurangirwa at 847-519-3952 (jrurangirwa@heidenhain.com) or Public Relations Manager Kathleen Stoneski at HEIDENHAIN at 847-519-4702 (kstoneski@heidenhain.com).  ETEL’s website is www.etelusa.com

ETEL S.A. is based in Switzerland with exclusive North American distribution through HEIDENHAIN Corporation in Schaumburg, IL.  As a leading international supplier of direct drive and motion control components and integrated systems, ETEL supports high tech industry with linear motors, torque motors, positioning stages, and motion controllers/systems.