Patent ID: 6989887

Claim:
A scanning apparatus, the scanning apparatus being suitable for scanning an object along a first axis, the scanning apparatus comprising: a first actuator; a first stage, the first stage being coupled to the first actuator, the first actuator being arranged to move the first stage along the first axis; a second stage, the second stage being arranged to accommodate the object; a first coupler, the first coupler having a first end and a second end, the first coupler being aligned along the first axis, wherein the first end of the first coupler is arranged to contact the first stage and the second end of the first coupler is arranged to contact the second stage, the first coupler being a stopper, the first end of the first coupler being a first end of the stopper that is substantially directly coupled to the first stage, the second end of the first coupler being a second end of the stopper being arranged to contact the second stage to substantially push the second stage when the first actuator causes the first stage to scan along the first axis in the first direction; and a second coupler, the second coupler having a first end and a second end, the second coupler being aligned along the first axis, wherein the first end of the second coupler is arranged to contact the first stage and the second end of the second coupler is arranged to contact the second stage, and wherein when the first actuator causes the first stage to scan along the first axis in a first direction, the first coupler causes the second stage to scan along the first axis through the first coupler.