Patent ID: 6867534

Claim:
A stage device for holding and moving an object in a space defined by an X-direction, a Y-direction, and a Z-direction that are mutually perpendicular to each other, the stage device comprising: an X-Y coarse-movement stage portion comprising a moving member and respective coarse-movement actuators situated and configured to move the moving member in an X-Y plane defined by the X-direction and the Y-direction; and a fine-movement stage portion, including a fine-movement table and a fine-movement actuator system coupled to the fine-movement table, the fine-movement table being mounted on the moving member of the X-Y coarse-movement stage portion, the fine-movement actuator system being configured to move the fine-movement table relative to the X-Y coarse-movement stage portion in any of six degrees of freedom of motion including motion in the X-direction, the Y-direction, the Z-direction, an angle θ X about an X-direction axis, an angle θ Y about a Y-direction axis, and an angle θ Z about a Z-direction axis, wherein at least one of the coarse-movement actuators is configured to produce a respective motion of the moving member without generating any significant magnetic fields or magnetic-field fluctuations.