Patent ID: 6987559

Claim:
A device for supporting a first mass relative to a second mass, comprising: a fluid isolator and a lateral fluid bearing situated along a support axis between the first and second masses; the fluid isolator comprising a housing defining an isolator chamber configured to be pressurized with a fluid at a pressure (P isol ), the fluid isolator being situated and configured relative to the first mass, the second mass, and the lateral fluid bearing such that motion of the masses relative to each other along the support axis is at the fluid isolator, and lateral motion of the masses relative to each other is at the lateral fluid bearing; and the lateral fluid bearing comprising first and second bearing surfaces oriented transversely to the support axis, at least one of the first and second bearing surfaces defining a pressure channel, an atmospheric pressure channel, and a vacuum channel, the pressure channel being situated the closest of the channels to the isolator chamber and pressurized at a pressure (P XYbearing ) substantially equal to P isol ; the vacuum channel being situated the farthest of the channels from the isolator chamber and evacuated to a vacuum (P vac ); and the atmospheric pressure channel being situated between the pressure channel and the vacuum channel and vented to atmospheric pressure (P atm ).