Patent ID: 8001831

Claim:
A positioning apparatus comprising: a stage unit extending in first and second directions and comprising a first surface and a second surface, the stage unit comprising: a center unit having a substantially square form in plane geometry, a first elastic support arranged to contact two sides of the center unit along the first direction, the first elastic support bending in the second direction on one or more sides of the two sides of the center unit; and a second elastic support arranged to contact remaining two sides of the center unit along the second direction, the second elastic support bending in the first direction on one or more sides of the remaining two sides, the first direction being orthogonal to the second direction; a support unit that supports the stage unit in the first and second directions, wherein a surface of the support unit faces the second surface of the stage unit; a first drive element that expands and contracts in the first direction and has one end that presses the second elastic support; a second drive element that expands and contracts in the second direction and has one end that presses the first elastic support; a third drive element that expands and contracts in a third direction orthogonal to the first and second directions, the third drive element comprising one end attached on a top surface of the center unit; and wherein an object is mounted on the other end of the third drive element and the first, second and third drive elements expand and contract in the first, the second and the third directions, respectively, to position the object; and wherein the second surface of the stage unit is spaced from the surface of the support unit, and the space is filled with a viscosity agent.