An apparatus configured to make fiducials on a substrate having a longitudinal axis and a lateral axis, the apparatus comprising: a first fiducial device configured to make a first fiducial on the substrate, the first fiducial comprising at least a continuous portion having a slope that is finite and non-zero relative to the longitudinal axis; a second fiducial device mechanically coupled to the first fiducial device, the first and second fiducial devices oriented at a non-zero angle to the lateral axis, the second fiducial device configured to make a second fiducial on the substrate, the second fiducial comprising at least a continuous portion having a slope that is finite and non-zero relative to the longitudinal axis; a longitudinal movement mechanism configured to provide a relative longitudinal motion between the substrate and the first and second fiducial devices along the longitudinal axis; a lateral movement actuator configured to provide a relative lateral motion that moves the first and second fiducial devices together back and forth across the substrate along a lateral trajectory having a lateral axis component during operation of the first and second fiducial devices to make the fiducials and during the relative longitudinal motion between the substrate and the first and second fiducial devices; and one or more control modules functionally connected to the longitudinal movement mechanism and the lateral movement actuator to coordinate the movements of the substrate and the lateral movement actuator, and the first and second fiducials respectively corresponding to the first and second fiducials are phase-shifted with each other. a first fiducial device configured to make a first fiducial on the substrate, the first fiducial comprising at least a continuous portion having a slope that is finite and non-zero relative to the longitudinal axis; a second fiducial device mechanically coupled to the first fiducial device, the first and second fiducial devices oriented at a non-zero angle to the lateral axis, the second fiducial device configured to make a second fiducial on the substrate, the second fiducial comprising at least a continuous portion having a slope that is finite and non-zero relative to the longitudinal axis; a longitudinal movement mechanism configured to provide a relative longitudinal motion between the substrate and the first and second fiducial devices along the longitudinal axis; a lateral movement actuator configured to provide a relative lateral motion that moves the first and second fiducial devices together back and forth across the substrate along a lateral trajectory having a lateral axis component during operation of the first and second fiducial devices to make the fiducials and during the relative longitudinal motion between the substrate and the first and second fiducial devices; and one or more control modules functionally connected to the longitudinal movement mechanism and the lateral movement actuator to coordinate the movements of the substrate and the lateral movement actuator, and the first and second fiducials respectively corresponding to the first and second fiducials are phase-shifted with each other.