JPS6182433A - Finely moving mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To accurately finely move a movable member without raising the machining accuracy of a component to the extreme limit by providing a voltage regulator for regulating a power source voltage to the prescribed value between a plurality of drive circuits for driving a drive member and a stationary member and the power source. CONSTITUTION:Voltages VR applied to drive circuits 21a-21d are regulated by voltage regulators 22a-22d, and voltages VS applied to drive circuits 35a-35d are regulated by voltage regulators 36a-36d. In order to rotatably move, movable members 13, 14 are secured on a base 15 by electrostatic chucks 33, 34 a drive member 17 is then elongated, and a drive member 19 is contracted. In order to linearly move, movable members 12, 13 are secured on the base 15 by electrostatic chucks 32, 33 drive members 16, 18 are then elongated. Rotary and linear motions can be simultaneously performed. Voltage regulators 22a-22d, 36a-36d are provided to use only one power source, thereby reducing the size, and accurately fine movement can be performed without respect to the machining accuracy of the part by the drive members and the chucks.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to a fine movement mechanism for rotating and rectilinearly moving an object position with high precision.

[Technical background of the invention and its problems]

In recent years, electron beam lithography equipment, reduction projection type transcription equipment, and X-ray transcription equipment have been developed to form fine patterns on samples such as semiconductor wafers and mask substrates. A micro-movement medical mechanism that drives minute displacements is required to maintain precision in microns.

Further, a fine movement mechanism with high precision is required not only in the above-mentioned apparatus but also in fields where precise measurements are performed using a measuring carrier.

Fine movement mechanisms include those that move in the -axial direction and those that perform rotational movement, but conventional rotary fine movement mechanisms that perform rotational movement have the following problems. In other words, fine movement drive is difficult with long strokes;
Those that are capable of fine movement have problems such as being unable to maintain a long stroke.

Furthermore, although there is a demand for a fine movement mechanism that can perform both rotational and linear movements, no such microscope has yet been reported that is capable of fine movement and has a long stroke.

In order to solve the above problem, the present inventors have recently developed the seventh
We proposed the mtl1m structure shown in Figures (a), (b), and (c) (Japanese Patent Application No. 72422/1982). In addition, (a) is a plan view, (b) is a sectional view taken along arrow A-A in (a), and (c) is (a
＞ is a B-BliFi plane view taken from the arrow 71. ~． 7
4 is a moving member, 75 is a base, 76, . 79 is a driving member such as a piezoelectric element, 81a, -, 82cl are WXa, 91
．． .about., 9i, respectively indicate electrostatic chucks. In this i position, the driving members 76, . 79 expands and contracts, the moving members 71, -. 74 can be moved linearly and rotationally in minute steps, and by repeating the steps, a sufficiently long stroke can be achieved.

However, this type of device has the following problems. That is, unless the voltage-displacement characteristics of the driving member and the voltage-attractive force characteristics of the D electric chuck as the fixing member match for all the components used, it will be extremely difficult to move it in the desired direction. Therefore, it is necessary to set up a driving power source for each driving member and fixed member.
8 voltages had to be supplied, which made the overall structure larger and increased costs. On the other hand, considering the above points and using a single power supply to reduce the size and cost of the control circuit system, the voltage-displacement characteristics of the drive member and the voltage-attractive force characteristics of the fixed member must be roughly the same. However, in order to achieve this, it is necessary to make the machining error of the parts extremely small, which requires a great deal of labor and cost.

[Purpose of the invention]

An object of the present invention is to be able to precisely move a moving member 171 in a desired direction without increasing the machining accuracy of parts such as driving members and fixing members to the utmost limit, and to miniaturize and reduce the size of a control circuit system. The goal is to provide a micro-IT national structure that can reduce costs.

[Summary of the invention]

The gist of the present invention is to cause fine movement by expanding and contracting a drive member made of a piezoelectric element, and to compensate for differences in voltage-displacement characteristics and voltage-attractive force between the drive member and the fixed member.

That is, the present invention comprises a plurality of moving members movably placed on a base and a piezoelectric element that expands and contracts according to an applied voltage, and each of the moving members is attached to both ends of the moving member in the direction of expansion and contraction. and a fixing member fixing each of the movable members on the base, the movable member being rotated and fixed by the expansion and contraction action of the drive member and the fixing action of the fixed member. In the fine movement mechanism for linear movement, a voltage adjustment circuit for adjusting the power supply voltage to a predetermined voltage is provided between the 7Ii source and a plurality of drive circuits that respectively drive the drive member and the fixed member.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, a voltage adjustment circuit is provided for each drive member and fixed member to compensate for their voltage-displacement characteristics and voltage-attractive force characteristics, so there is no need to increase the machining accuracy of parts to the utmost limit. , its production is easy. Furthermore, since there is no need to provide a power source for each member, the control circuit system can be made smaller and lower in cost.

In addition, by properly combining each expansion and contraction action of a plurality of driving members (same number as the number of moving members) and each fixing action of a plurality of fixed members, rotational movement and linear movement of the moving member by the same driving source can be achieved. It becomes possible. Furthermore, there is no disadvantage that the stroke becomes extremely small when fine movements are made as in conventional probes, and a sufficiently long stroke can be achieved with fine movements, and in principle infinite rotation and straight movement are possible.

This eliminates the need for drive and fine movement mechanisms.

Furthermore, since the movable member is directly driven by a drive member made of a piezoelectric element as a drive source, it is possible to reliably achieve ultra-fine movement of, for example, 0.005 [μ skin] with an applied voltage of 1 [V]. Furthermore, a member having a piezoelectric effect can generate a force of several hundred [υ] to several Ct], depending on the magnitude of the applied voltage, and it is possible to provide a fine movement mechanism that generates a large torque. can.

Moreover, the structure of the present invention is extremely F! It doesn't use any parts that would break down with just Li, so it's a total! It is sufficiently reliable even when used by being incorporated into appliances and various semiconductor devices.

Furthermore, in devices that use charged particles such as electron beams and ion beams, S-charged particles are affected by fluctuations in the magnetic field, but in the present invention, all constituent materials can be made of non-magnetic materials. This makes it extremely useful for devices that use charged particles.

[Embodiments of the invention]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a fine movement mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
2(1)) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B in FIG. 1; In the figure, reference numerals 11, 12, 13, and 14 are rectangular plate-shaped moving members, respectively. ~． 14 is placed on the conductive base 15 to form a square as a whole! I
They are placed between i. Moving member 11. ~． 14 are connected to each other by drive members 16, 17, 18, and 19, respectively. That is, the moving member 11°12
A driving member 16 is provided between the moving members 12.13, a driving member 17 is provided between the moving members 12.13, a driving member 18 is provided between the moving members 13.14, and a driving member 19 is provided between the moving members 14.1"NR]. Each of the driving members 16, to 19 is made of a piezoelectric element, for example, made of zirconium titanate, which expands and contracts depending on the applied voltage, and the moving member is attached to both ends of the driving member in the direction of expansion and contraction (in the direction of the arrow shown in the figure). 11. to .14 are respectively attached and fixed.This fixation may be done by any of the following methods: long, screwed, or press-fitted.

A drive circuit 21a is connected to the drive member 16, a drive circuit 21b is connected to the drive member 17, a drive circuit 21C is connected to the drive member 18, and a drive circuit 21b is connected to the drive member 19. The drive circuit 21a includes a voltage adjustment circuit 22a.
is connected, and the power supply voltage supplied from the power supply 25 via the branch circuit 26 is adjusted to a predetermined voltage by the voltage adjustment circuit 22a and applied to the drive circuit 21a. Similarly, voltages adjusted by voltage adjustment circuits 22b, 22d are applied to the other drive circuits 21b, 21d. Here, the voltage adjustment circuits 22a to 22d are
Drive members 16, . . . by voltage application. The voltage is adjusted so that the amount of expansion of each of the voltages 19 becomes equal. As a result, if the outputs VR of the voltage adjustment circuits 22a, 22d are va, . The amount of expansion of the drive member 18 and the amount of expansion of the drive member 19 due to the application of VC1 are the same.Drive circuits 21a, -.

21d goes to CPU27! III, the output voltage VR% of the voltage adjustment circuits 22a to 22d is selected to be the intermediate voltage (1/2) VR, and the voltage of zero is set to the driving member 11.
．． ~． 14.

On the other hand, an electrostatic chuck (fixing member) consisting of an electrode 31a and insulating layers 31b and 3'1C is provided under the transferable material 11.
31 is provided, as well as a moving member 12. ~． 14
Electrostatic chucks 32°, 33, and 34 are provided at the bottom of each of the electrostatic chucks. These electrostatic chucks 31. ~． 34 is a moving member 11. by voltage application. ~． 14 on the base 15 by suction.An electrostatic chuck 31. ~
.

34 is a drive circuit 35a similar to the moving member.

~, 35CI and voltage adjustment circuits 36a, ~, 36d are connected, 1. l! The voltage from 25 is adjusted to a predetermined voltage and applied. Here, the voltage adjustment circuits 36a, . . . , 36d have electrostatic checks 31. The voltage is adjusted so that the attraction forces of . As a result, the voltage adjustment circuit 26
The output voltages Vs of a, ~, 26d are Va, ~, V, respectively.
If d, the attraction force of the electrostatic chuck 31 due to application of Va, the attraction force of the electrostatic chuck 32 due to application of VB, the attraction force of the electrostatic chuck 33 due to application of Vc, and the attraction force of the electrostatic chuck 34 due to application of Vd are equal. It becomes.

Next, the operation of the mechanism of this embodiment configured as described above will be explained.

First, the voltages VR applied to the drive circuits 21a, 21d, respectively, are adjusted by the voltage adjustment circuits 22a, 22d, as described above, and then the voltages VR applied to the drive circuits 21a, 21d, 36a, 36a, 22d are adjusted as described above.
6 (drive circuit 35a from NC.

~, the voltage Vs applied to 35d is y! as described above. Keep it in order. And a drive circuit 21a.

~, 21d is the voltage W at steady state! Adjustment circuit 22a, ~.

Apply a voltage (1/2) VR that is half of the output voltage VR of 22d, and apply VR when the drive member 16° to 19 is extended by the instruction of the CPU 27, and zero voltage when it is extended Iti. Keep it as a thing. Also, drive circuit 35a
, ~, 35d are the electrostatic chucks 31, ~, 35d. When driving 34, the output voltage of voltage adjustment circuits 36a to 46d ■8
It is assumed that .

Now, in order to make rotational movement, the electrostatic chuck 33.34
After the movable members 13 and 14 are fixed on the base 15, the driving member 17 is extended and the driving member 19 is retracted, as shown in FIG. 3(a). This causes the moving member 11.12 to rotate slightly in the direction of arrow P. Next, DTj
Moving members 1 and 2 are attached to base 1 using chucks 31 and 32.
5, the movable member 13.14 is released from being fixed by the electrostatic chuck 33.34. In this state, the third
When the drive member 17 is retracted and the drive member 19 is extended as shown in FIG. 1, the movable members 13 and 14 rotate slightly in the direction of arrow P. By repeating the above operations, the moving member] 1゛, ~.

14 is rotated in the direction of arrow P.

In order to move in a straight line, the movable members 12, 13 are fixed on the base 15 by the electric chucks 32, 33, and then the drive members 16, 18 are extended together as shown in FIG. 4(a). As a result, the moving member 11. '! 4 is minute movement D (straight movement D) in the direction of arrow Q 'Tj8. Next 1. :,DW
After fixing the moving member 11.14 on the base 15, the electrostatic chuck 31.33
Release the fixation of the moving member 12 and 13 by the movement a. In this state, when the driving members 16, 18 are both retracted as shown in FIG. 4(b), the movable members 12, 13 are slightly moved in the direction of the arrow Q. By repeating the above operations, the moving member 11
, ~. 14 will be forced to go straight in the direction of arrow Q.

Thus, according to this embodiment, the transferred aπ material 11. ~.

14 can be rotated or moved linearly, and it is also possible to roughly rotate and move linearly at the same time. In addition, the moving vJ member 11. The movement direction of ~, 14 is the driving member 1
6. ~． 19 and the electrostatic chuck 31. ~． 3
It can be freely set by appropriately selecting each of the fixing functions of 4.

In addition to this, voltage adjustment circuits 22a to 22d.

By installing 36a to 36d, the following effects can be obtained. That is, since only one power supply is required, the overall configuration can be made smaller. Moreover, the driving members 16, .
19 and electrostatic chuck 31. ~.

Since the difference in voltage-displacement characteristics and voltage-attractive force custom made in 34 is compensated for, accurate fine movement can be achieved regardless of the machining opening degree of the part.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the waist structure of another embodiment. Note that the same parts as in FIG. 1 are given the same reference numerals, and detailed explanation thereof will be omitted. This embodiment differs from the previously described embodiments in that the moving members 1 to 14 are connected by an elastic hinge 57 that utilizes elastic deformation of the material, and the rest are the same as in the previous embodiments. It is similar to With such a configuration, it goes without saying that the same effect as the previous embodiment can be achieved.
Drive member 16. ~． 19 and electrostatic chuck 31. ~.

This has the effect that the impact caused by 34 during driving, fixing, etc. can be reduced.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments. 6 In the embodiments described above, the case where four moving members and four driving members are used each is used, but these may be used as appropriate as long as the number is two or more. Can be changed. For example, if there are three, moving members 61, 62, 63 and driving members 64° 65, 66 are used as shown in Fig. 6, and the driving members 64° 65 are alternately expanded and contracted to rotate, and to move straight. In this case, the driving members 64 and 65 may be expanded and contracted at the same time. Roughly, in this case, the moving member 61. ~.

63 and a driving member 64. ~． 66, it becomes possible to gradually dissipate the distortion that occurs between each member.

Further, the shape, dimensions, etc. of the moving member may be determined as appropriate according to specifications. Further, the fixing member is not necessarily limited to an electrostatic chuck, but may be an electromagnetic chuck or other type of chuck. Further, the driving method of the movable member that combines the expansion and contraction action of the driving member and the fixing action of the fixed member may be changed as appropriate depending on the conditions such as the desired movement and its direction. In general, the voltage applied to the driving member may be determined as appropriate depending on conditions such as the desired movement speed and displacement ij1. In addition, various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of a fine movement mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2(a) is a sectional view taken along arrow A-A in FIG. 3(a), 4(b), and 4(a) and 4(b) are schematic diagrams for explaining the operation of the above embodiment, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the main structure of the embodiment, FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a modified example, and Sections 7 (a) to (C) are diagrams showing the schematic structure of the conventional example. 11, ~. 14... Moving member, 15... Base, 16
~, 19... Drive member, 21a, ~, 21d. 35a, 35d--drive circuit, 22a, 35d-. 22d, 36a, ~, 3ed...=pressure adjustment circuit,
25...Power supply, 26...Branch circuit, 27...CP
U, 31, ~. 34... Electrostatic chuck (fixing member). Applicant's representative Patent attorney Takehiko Suzue Figure 1 Figure 2 (a) (b) Figure 3 (b) Figure 4 (a) 1F (b) Figure 5 Figure 6

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] (1) A plurality of moving members movably placed on a base and a piezoelectric element that expands and contracts according to an applied voltage, and each of the moving members is attached to both ends of the piezoelectric element in the direction of expansion and contraction. a driving member that connects adjacent moving members; a plurality of fixing members that fix each of the moving members on the base; and a plurality of drive circuits that respectively drive the driving member and the fixing member; A voltage adjustment circuit is provided between each of the drive members and the power source to adjust the power supply voltage to a predetermined voltage and apply it to the drive circuit, and the expansion and contraction action of the drive member and the fixing action of the fixing member cause the A fine movement mechanism characterized by rotating and rectilinearly moving a moving member. (2) The fine movement mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the fixed member is formed by forming an electrostatic chuck consisting of an electrode and a dielectric layer on the surface layer of each moving member. . (3) A patent claim characterized in that the voltage adjustment circuit connected to the drive circuit that drives the drive member adjusts the voltage so that the amount of expansion or contraction of the drive member due to voltage application is equal to each other. The fine movement mechanism according to item 1. (4) The drive circuit that drives the drive member includes a voltage V_R adjusted by the voltage adjustment circuit, and a half voltage (
1/2) The fine movement mechanism according to claim 1 or 3, wherein each voltage of V_R and zero is selected and applied to the drive member. (4) The voltage adjustment circuit connected to the drive circuit that drives the fixing member adjusts the voltage so that the attraction force of the fixing member due to voltage application is equal to each other. The fine movement mechanism according to item 1 or 2. (6) The power source includes two power supplies that independently supply voltage to the drive member and the fixed member, or one power supply that supplies voltage in common to them. Fine movement mechanism described in section.