A cantilever linear motion reference device employing two-layer air suspension. By means of a two-layer force sealed air suspension structure, the invention realizes two-dimensional air suspension support and motion guiding and improves the rotational stiffness per unit for an air suspension working surface. By combining accurate driving and feedback control, the invention achieves high speed, high acceleration, high frequency motion, and enables construction of a small-volume, long cantilever, high torque load two-dimensional motion reference device.

The invention relates to a motor (LD) comprising: a stationary part (STP), comprising: a row of coil assemblies (UCA,LCA), the coil assemblies having multiple phases, a movable part (MP), comprising: a row of permanent magnets (UPM,LPM), wherein the row of coil assemblies has a first length and the row of permanent magnets has a second length, wherein the second length is smaller than the first length, wherein the coil assemblies are arranged to interact with permanent magnets aligned with the coil assemblies to generate a driving force, a comparator to compare a position measurement signal representative for an actual position of the movable part with a set-point signal representative for a desired position of the movable part to provide an error signal; a motion feedback controller configured to provide a control signal on the basis of the error signal; at least one current amplifier configured to provide an actuation signal to the coil assemblies on the basis of the control signal, wherein the motor comprises a feedforward device, wherein the feedforward device is configured to provide a current amplifier feedforward signal on the basis of the set-point signal, or a derivative thereof, wherein the current amplifier feedforward signal is provided to the at least one current amplifier to compensate for unbalanced back electromotive forces on one or more of the coil assemblies due to the one or more coil assemblies being only partly aligned with the permanent magnets.

A method for moving a stage includes coupling a stage mover to the stage, and directing current to the stage mover with a control system. The stage mover includes a magnet array and a conductor array positioned adjacent to the magnet array. The conductor array includes a first layer of coils and a second layer of coils, with the first layer of coils being closer to the magnet array than the second layer of coils. The control system directs current to the first layer of coils and the second layer of coils independently. Further, the control system directs more current to the first layer of coils than the second layer of coils during a movement step to reduce the power consumption.

A pattern forming apparatus comprising: a rotary drum that includes a cylindrical outer circumferential surface which is curved at a predetermined radius from a predetermined center line, that rotates about the center line in a state in which a part of a sheet substrate is supported in a length direction of the sheet substrate along the outer circumferential surface; a pattern forming part that forms the pattern on the sheet substrate at a first specific position; a scale disk that is fixed to an end portion of the rotary drum in a direction in which the center line extends while being coaxial with the center line and that includes a circular scale; and a first reading mechanism that is arranged to oppose with the scale formed at the outer circumferential surface of the scale disk, that is arranged at substantially same azimuth as an azimuth.

A cantilever linear motion reference device employing two-layer air suspension. By means of a two-layer force sealed air suspension structure, the invention realizes two-dimensional air suspension support and motion guiding and improves the rotational stiffness per unit for an air suspension working surface. By combining accurate driving and feedback control, the invention achieves high speed, high acceleration, high frequency motion, and enables construction of a small-volume, long cantilever, high torque load two-dimensional motion reference device.

In an exposure apparatus, on a substrate holder (34), a plurality of grating areas (RG) is arranged mutually apart in the X-axis direction, and a plurality of heads (66a to 66d) that irradiates a measurement beam with respect to the grating area and can move in the Y-axis direction is arranged outside of the substrate holder. A control system controls movement of the substrate holder in at least directions of three degrees of freedom within an XY plane, based on measurement information of at least three heads of the plurality of heads facing the grating area and measurement information of a measurement device that measures position information of the plurality of heads. The measurement beam of each of the plurality of heads, during the movement of substrate holder in the X-axis direction, moves off of one of the plurality of grating areas and switches to another adjacent grating area.

The invention provides an assembly comprising a cryostat (6, 7, 8, 9) and a flat coil layer (3) of superconducting coils (2) for use with a magnetic levitation and/or acceleration motor system (1) of a lithographic apparatus. The cryostat comprises two insulation coverings (8, 9). The coil layer is arranged between the two coverings. The coverings each comprise an inner plate (10) configured to be cryocooled and an outer plate (11) parallel to the inner plate, and an insulation system with a vacuum layer (13) between the inner and outer plate. The insulation system of said covering comprises a layer of circular bodies (101), the central axes of these bodies extending perpendicular to the inner and outer plate, and is configured to provide a layer of point contacts between two layers of circular bodies or between a layer of circular bodies and the inner and/or outer plate.

An actuator device for aligning an element includes at least one first actuator unit, which is secured to a support structure, for a first setting range and a second actuator unit, which is able to be secured to the element, for a second setting range. The second actuator unit is connected to an output element of the first actuator unit so that the positioning of the second actuator unit is adjustable by an adjustment of the output element. The first actuator unit has an adjusting element and a fixing element, which is able to be secured to the support structure. The fixing element secures the output element in a force-locking manner in an operating state of the element. The fixing element is furthermore configured to release the force-locking connection in a setting state of the element to enable an adjustment of the output element via the adjusting element.

A detection apparatus detects an orientation reference of an object to be detected which includes an edge including the orientation reference. The apparatus includes a first detection system configured to detect the edge such that the orientation reference is detected, and a second detection system configured to detect, by projecting a pattern to a surface of the object and detecting an image formed by reflected light from the surface, a position of the surface in a direction perpendicular to the surface. After a focusing operation of the first detection system is performed based on the position of the surface detected by the second detection system, the first detection system detects the orientation reference.

A vibration isolation system including a support, a forward actuator and a return device. The support is for supporting the body on a base. The support has a body engaging surface and a base engaging surface. The base engaging surface is arranged to couple to the base. The support couples the body engaging surface to the body in a coupled state. The support uncouples the body engaging surface from the body in an uncoupled state. The forward actuator moves the body and the body engaging surface together relatively to the base in a first direction from a first initial position to an end position in the coupled state. The return device is configured to move the body engaging surface relatively to the body opposite to the first direction from the end position to a second initial position in the uncoupled state.