Principal Investigator David Trumper
Project Website http://web.mit.edu/pmc/www/
The precision motion control group at MIT conducts research in the design of electromechanical systems for precise positioning applications such as semiconductor photolithography, high-speed machine tools, and scanned probe microscopy. The group's strengths in electromechanics, controls, and mechanical design complement the more traditional mechanical engineering disciplines to allow us to develop novel machines, actuators, and sensors for advanced manufacturing processes.
Example research topics include a novel 6-axis positioning stage for photolithography. This stage has a travel of 200mm in one linear axis, 400 micrometers in the other two linear axes, and is also capable of milliradian scale rotations about each axis. The stage has a positioning resolution on the order of ten's of nanometers. These motion capabilities are ideally matched to the requirements for wafer positioning during photolithography which patterns sub-micron integrated circuit features.
In another project, the group has designed and constructed a unique stage for use in conjunction with scanned probe microscopy systems. This stage is magnetically-levitated in a fluid bath. The combination of magnetic and fluid bearings allows us to achieve position resolution on the order of 0.1 nanometers, which is less than the diameter of a single atom. This is the highest resolution magnetic suspension which has yet been constructed, and has been successfully used to image atomic-scale features in conjunction with a scanning tunneling microscope.
In other projects, high force-density linear motors for use in machine tools requiring high acceleration and short cycle-time motions are being designed. This motor uses a unique tubular configuration which allows high force and thermal efficiency.