Patent ID: 8159652

Claim:
A positioning apparatus, configured for moving a movable member relative to a base member by a surface motor, comprising: a first coil unit including a plurality of coils which are arranged in an X-axial direction and which have a longer length in a Y-axial direction than in the X-axial direction, wherein an X-axis is perpendicular to a Y-axis; a second coil unit including a plurality of coils which are arranged in the Y-axial direction and which have a longer length in the X-axial direction than in the Y-axial direction; a first magnet unit configured to generate a force to the movable member in the X-axial direction in cooperation with the first coil unit and to generate a force to the movable member in the Y-axial direction in cooperation with the second coil unit; and a second magnet unit configured to generate a force to the movable member in a rotational direction around a Z-axis in cooperation with either the first coil unit or the second coil unit, wherein the Z-axis is perpendicular to both of the X-axis and the Y-axis, wherein the second magnet unit consists of two magnet rows, a first one of the magnet rows being arranged on a first side of the first magnet unit and a second one of the magnet rows being, arranged on a second side opposite to the first side of the tt st magnet unit, and wherein each magnet row consists of a plurality of magnets arranged one-dimensionally such that N-poles and S-poles are alternately arranged in a single row in the X-axial direction or in the Y-axial direction.