Patent ID: 7359037
Filing Date: 2008-04-15
Classification: G03F,H02K

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for driving a reticle-masking blade, comprising: a stage coupled to the reticle-masking blade; a motor including a first plurality of coil groups and coupled to said stage and configured to produce a first magnetic force to cause a two-dimensional translational movement of said stage; and an actuator including a second plurality of coil groups and coupled to said stage and configured to produce a second magnetic force to levitate said stage, wherein a direction of levitation is normal to a plane of said two-dimensional translational movement of said stages, wherein each coil group in the first and second plurality of coils groups are oriented orthogonally with respect to an adjacent coil group, and wherein the first and second plurality of coil groups are configured to produce the first magnetic force through an applied varying current and the second magnetic force through an applied constant current.