Patent ID: 7804207

Claim:
A positioning apparatus which positions a stage that can move on a base guide in a first direction, the apparatus comprising: an actuating unit configured to reciprocally actuate the stage in the first direction; a repulsion force generation unit which includes a movable element arranged on the stage and a stator arranged on the base guide, and is configured to generate a repulsion force which acts against a thrust of the stage and corresponds to a facing area of a pair of magnets of the same polarity, said movable element and said stator being arranged so that said pair of magnets of the same polarity face each other at each actuation edge of the stage in the first direction; and a repulsion force assisting unit configured to assist the repulsion force by applying a thrust exceeding the repulsion force to the stage to increase the facing area of said pair of magnets of the same polarity, wherein said repulsion force assisting unit generates a thrust larger than a thrust generated by said actuating unit.