JP4236353B2 - Tilt stage - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a tilt stage that can be tilted in an arbitrary direction used in an X-ray apparatus, a precision measuring apparatus, an optical apparatus, and the like.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, an inclined stage used in an X-ray apparatus, a precision measuring apparatus, an optical apparatus, or the like superimposes a stage having an arc surface crossed in an orthogonal direction, and the stage having the arc surface is arranged in one direction by a worm. By rotating in the orthogonal direction, the stage can be tilted in an arbitrary direction.
[0003]
Hereinafter, a conventional tilt stage will be described with reference to the drawings.
In FIG. 4 , 41 is a motor, 42 is a coupling of the motor 41 , 43 is a nut, 44 is a ball bearing, 45 is a housing, 46 is a worm, 47a is a first stage having an arc-shaped worm wheel, 47b is A second layer stage having an arc-shaped worm wheel, 48 is an arc guide rail, 49 is a retainer, 50 is a guide roller, 51 is a swivel, and 52 is a sample stage.
[0004]
As shown in the figure, the swivel 51 is superposed on the first stage 47a, and the stage 47b having an arc surface orthogonal to the stage 47a is superposed on the swivel.
[0005]
In the tilt stage configured as described above, when the motor 41 is driven, the worm 46 rotates, the worm wheel of the stage 47a meshing with the worm 46 rotates, and the stage 47a rotates along the arcuate guide rail. The first stage is inclined. When a motor (not shown) is driven, the second stage tilts with the same movement as the first stage. By adjusting two orthogonal axes, the tilt stage is positioned at a predetermined tilt angle.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the above-described conventional tilt stage, as shown in FIG. 4, when the stage is placed horizontally and rotated in the plane, the weight of the stages 47 a and 47 b and the weight of the sample stage 52 act as a moment W on the stage, The circular arc sliding portion between the superimposed stages 47a and 47b has a backlash or a deflection due to the influence of gravity, which is an obstacle to maintaining the tilt accuracy. Further, since it is necessary to superimpose an arc having a predetermined arc diameter on the stage, a predetermined length is required from the center of the arc to the lower surface of the stage, which increases the size of the entire stage, and further, the worm gear and the worm. A backlash occurred on the wheel, which was an obstacle to maintaining the accuracy of the tilt stage. In addition, the stage (worm wheel) and guide rail that are processed into an arc shape are cut into a ring shape by lathe processing, further gear cutting is performed on the stage, and this part is cut and used, so the manufacturing cost is inevitably high. There was a difficulty of becoming. Another problem is that the arc diameter changes due to deformation by cutting.
[0007]
The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, is smaller than a conventional tilt stage, and when the stage is placed horizontally and rotated in the plane, the stage runout of the stage is extremely small, and the part shape is This simplification provides an inclined stage whose manufacturing cost is about half that of the conventional one.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a tilting stage, a moving stage that is pushed by the rotation of a motor, a tilting shaft having one end engaged with the moving stage and a spherical body fixed to the other end, and a spherical body. Is provided with a stage base provided with a spherical seat on which the slider slides, and a sample stage fixed together with the spherical body at the end of the inclined shaft. Therefore, according to the present invention, since the spherical bearing is used as the tilting means of the tilt stage, the thickness of the stage can be reduced as compared with the conventional tilt stage.
[0009]
In addition, when the stage is installed horizontally and rotates in the plane, the conventional tilt stage has a cantilevered support structure, so the weight of the stage and sample stage acts as a moment on the stage, and during rotation In the present invention, since the intermediate stage between the sample stage and the moving stage is supported by the stage base, the moment force applied to the stage is smaller than that of the conventional apparatus, and there is no backlash or deflection. The influence can be further reduced, and the angle can be adjusted to an angle close to a right angle as much as possible with respect to the axis of in-plane rotation. Furthermore, the entire stage can be downsized, and a low-cost tilt stage can be provided.
[0010]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
According to the first aspect of the present invention, a first moving stage pushed by rotation of a motor, one end is connected to the first moving stage via a spring plate , and a spherical body and a sample stage are connected to the other end. A tilt base provided; a spherical seat on which the spherical body slides; a stage base that supports the middle of the sample stage and the first moving stage; and a sample vertical position adjustment mechanism that moves the sample stage in the direction of the tilt axis. The vertical position adjustment mechanism adjusts the position of the arc center of the tilt stage and the sample surface, and the rotation of the motor pushes the first moving stage to rotate and tilt the tilt axis along the spherical seat. An inclining stage for an X-ray apparatus characterized by inclining a sample stage, and a conventional inclining means in which a stage having an arc surface provided by crossing inclining means composed of a worm and a worm gear in an orthogonal direction is superimposed. Instead of Since spherical bearings are used as the tilting means, the thickness of the stage can be reduced compared to conventional tilting stages, and even when the stage is placed horizontally and rotated in-plane, Since the middle of the moving stage is supported by the stage base, play and deflection due to the weight of the stage and the moment received by the stage can be greatly reduced. On the other hand, it has an effect of enabling in-plane rotation at an angle close to a right angle.
[0011]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, the motor is rotated in a direction orthogonal to the first moving stage between the first moving stage and the stage base, and the tilt axis crosses the tilt direction of the first moving stage. A tilt stage characterized in that a sample stage is tilted by providing a second move stage to be tilted, pushing the second move stage by rotation of the motor, and tilting the tilt axis along the spherical seat. In addition to the function of the first aspect of the present invention, the stage can be tilted in any direction.
[0012]
The invention according to claim 3 is an inclined stage characterized in that a feed mechanism is formed by a feed screw provided on the motor shaft and a nut provided on the moving stage, and the moving stage is pushed by rotation of the motor. In addition to the effects of the inventions of claims 1 and 2, since a feed mechanism using a feed screw and a nut is used, the entire stage can be reduced in size and simplified compared to a conventional device using a worm gear. The moving stage can be pushed by the means.
[0013]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the vertical position adjusting mechanism is mounted on a spherical bearing having a spherical seat on which a spherical body slides provided on the stage base, and a through hole provided in the spherical bearing. Are provided with a ball bushing guide for adjusting the vertical position of the sample stage and an eccentric cam that is rotated by a vertical movement motor and is engaged with a receiving seat connected to an inclined shaft, and is tilted through the seat by receiving the rotation of the eccentric cam. The tilt stage is characterized in that the shaft is moved in the vertical direction. By rotating the vertical movement motor, the eccentric cam rotates, and the receiving seat engaged with the eccentric cam moves in the vertical direction according to the cam surface of the eccentric cam. move, since to move the sample axis in the vertical direction, that have a function of making it possible to perform the Z (vertical) direction fine adjustment of the sample.
[0014]
Embodiment
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
In the figure, 1 is a motor for a first moving stage, 1a is a rotating shaft of the motor 1, 2 is a first moving stage moved laterally by the motor 1, 3 is a motor mounting plate for connecting the motor and the first moving stage, 4 Is a motor plate attached to a motor mounting portion, 5 is an inclined shaft having one end engaged with the first moving stage 2 and a spherical body of a spherical bearing fixed to the other end, and 6 is an end surface of the inclined shaft 5 And the first moving stage 2, 7 is a washer for fixing the spring plate 6 and the inclined shaft 5, 8 is a second moving stage provided between the first moving stage 2 and the fixed stage 14, and 9 is A nut provided at the end of the second moving stage and meshing with a feed screw of the motor shaft 1a, 10 is a cross roller guide, 11 is a spherical bearing, 11a is a spherical body, 11b is a spherical seat, and the spherical seat 11b is a stage base. 19 at the center of the spherical body 1a is slidably engaged with the spherical seat 11b, to form a spherical bearing 11 in both. 12 is a seat plate, 13 is a bolt for fixing the spherical body 11a of the spherical bearing between the inclined shaft end surface and the seat plate 12, 14 is a fixed stage, and 15 is a tension coil spring for joining the spherical body 11a and the spherical seat 11b with spring force. , 16 is a compression spring for preventing backlash, 17 is a sample table provided on the seat plate 12, 18 is a sample, and 19 is a stage base for supporting the spherical bearing 11.
[0015]
In the tilt stage, although not shown in FIG. 1, a motor that pushes the second moving stage in a direction orthogonal to the first moving stage is provided on the fixed stage 14 with respect to the illustrated motor 1. It is provided at an angle of 90 °, and the second moving stage 8 is pushed in the direction orthogonal to the first moving stage by the motor in the same manner as the first moving stage, and the inclined shaft 5 is rotated along the spherical seat 11b. It inclines and it is comprised so that the sample stand 17 may be inclined. The motor mounting means and the pushing means for the second moving stage 8 are the same as in the case of the first moving stage 2 and will not be described.
[0016]
Next, the operation of the above apparatus will be described.
When the motor 1 is driven, the rotating shaft 1a of the motor 1 meshes with the nut 9 provided at the end of the second moving stage 8, so that the nut 9 moves back and forth. When the motor 1 moves, the first moving stage 2 integrally fixed via the motor 1 and the motor mounting plate 3 moves in the same direction. When the first moving stage 2 moves, the second moving stage 8 also moves together. When the first moving stage 2 moves, the end portion of the inclined shaft 5 also moves in the same direction as the moving direction of the motor 1 via the spring plate 6, and the spherical body 11a fixed to the other end surface of the inclined shaft 5 has a spherical surface. It rotates along the seat 11b, and the seat plate 12 and the sample stage 17 provided integrally with the spherical body 11a are inclined at a certain angle.
[0017]
Further, when the sample stage 17 is inclined in a direction orthogonal to the inclination by the first moving stage 2, a motor that pushes the second moving stage 8 in the direction orthogonal to the first moving stage 2 is provided on the fixed stage 14. Therefore, by driving the motor, the second moving stage 8 is pushed in the direction orthogonal to the first moving stage 2 by the same operation as the first moving stage 2, and the inclined shaft 5 is moved to the spherical surface. The sample stage 17 can be tilted in rotation along the seat 11b, and can be tilted in a direction crossing the tilt direction by the first moving stage 2. The sample position adjusting mechanism having the above-described configuration allows the sample surface and X to be tilted. The optical axes of the lines can be matched.
[0018]
In the above embodiment, the spherical bearing 11 formed of the spherical body 11a and the spherical seat 11b is provided between the sample stage 17 and the movable stages 2 and 8, and these are supported by the stage base 19, When the stage is installed horizontally and rotates in-plane, the moment W (see FIG. 2) acting on the stage due to the weight of the stages 2, 8, 14 and the sample stage 17 is smaller than that of the conventional apparatus, It is possible to reduce the play and the bending that occur during the rotation of the stage, and it is possible to adjust the sample stage 17 to an angle that is as close to a right angle as possible with respect to the axis of the in-plane rotation mechanism. Furthermore, the entire stage can be downsized, and a low-cost tilt stage can be provided.
[0019]
Embodiment 2
The second embodiment is characterized in that a vertical position adjustment mechanism is provided on the tilt stage shown in the first embodiment.
[0020]
Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
In FIG. 3 , 19a is a stage base, 20 is a sample stage, 21a is a spherical body, 21b is a spherical seat, 22 is a sample shaft, 23 is a ball bush guide provided on the peripheral surface of the through hole of the spherical bearing, and 24 is a through hole. , 25 is a leaf spring, 26 is a support, 27 is a cylindrical receiving seat fixed to the sample shaft 22, 28 is a Z vertical motor, 29 is a coupling, 30 is an eccentric cam that engages with the receiving seat 27, An eccentric shaft 30b is provided on the rotary shaft 30a, and a bearing 30c is attached thereto. Reference numeral 31 denotes a joint shaft, 32 denotes a φ rotation motor, 33 denotes a leaf spring for preventing rotation of the motor, and 34 denotes an Rx arc motor that tilts by pressing the entire tilt stage in one direction.
[0021]
The upper end of the sample shaft 22 is attached to the sample stage 20, and the lower end is connected to a φ rotation motor 32 via a joint shaft 31. The ball bush guide 23 is mounted on the inner surface of the through hole 24 of the spherical bearing, and guides the sample shaft 22 to be rotatable and movable in the vertical direction. The sample shaft 22 is provided with a cylindrical receiving seat 27 at a protruding portion that protrudes downward from the ball bush guide 23, and the receiving seat 27 engages with an eccentric cam 30 provided at the end of the rotary shaft of the vertical motor 28. 30 guides the sample shaft 22 in the vertical direction.
[0022]
As described above, in the present embodiment, the ball bush guide 23 is mounted in the through hole 24 provided in the spherical bearing, the sample shaft 22 is inserted into the ball bush guide 23, and the protrusion from the ball bush guide 23 is Z A cylindrical receiving seat 27 that is engaged with an eccentric cam 30 that is rotated by a vertical motor 28 is attached, and the receiving seat 27 is configured to be engaged with an eccentric cam 30 that is rotated by a Z vertical motor 28. By rotating the motor 28, the eccentric cam 30 is rotated, the receiving seat 27 engaged with the eccentric cam 30 is moved in the vertical direction according to the cam surface of the eccentric cam 30, and the sample shaft 22 is moved in the vertical direction. It becomes possible to finely adjust the sample in the vertical direction.
[0023]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the vertical position adjustment mechanism for the sample is provided between the tilt stage and the sample, the position of the arc center of the tilt stage and the sample surface can be adjusted, and the sample such as thin film measurement can be adjusted. Even when the positional accuracy is required, sample measurement can be performed without causing an error in the sample position.
[0024]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, the tilt stage of the present invention includes a linear motion stage that is pushed by the rotation of a motor, a tilt shaft that has one end engaged with the move stage and a spherical body fixed to the other end, and a spherical body. Since the stage base with a sliding spherical seat and the sample base fixed with the spherical body at the end of the tilt shaft are provided, the thickness of the stage can be reduced compared to the conventional tilt stage. Can do. In addition, when the stage is installed horizontally and rotated in the plane, in the conventional apparatus, since the stage is a cantilever support mechanism, the weight of the stage and the sample stage acts as a moment on the stage and rotates. In the present invention, unlike the conventional tilt stage, since the middle of the sample stage and the moving stage is supported by the stage base, the moment force applied to the stage is reduced, and the influence of the play and the deflection is generated. The number can be reduced, and the angle can be adjusted to an angle as close to a right angle as possible with respect to the axis of in-plane rotation.
[0025]
In addition, since the sample vertical position adjustment mechanism is provided between the tilt stage and the sample, it is possible to adjust the position of the arc center of the tilt stage and the sample surface, which requires sample position accuracy such as thin film measurement. However, it is possible to provide a tilt stage that can accurately measure the sample without causing an error in the sample position.
[0026]
By these actions, the tilting, in-plane rotation, and vertical movement of the sample can be realized with a simple structure, so that a small and low-cost tilting stage can be provided.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a tilt stage of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the tilt stage of the present invention is installed horizontally.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a tilt stage according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional tilt stage.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a conventional tilt stage is installed horizontally.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 1st moving stage motor 1a Motor shaft 1b 2nd moving stage motor 2 1st moving stage 3 Motor mounting plate 4 Motor plate 5 Inclined shaft 6 Spring plate 7 Washer 8 Second moving stage 9 Nut 10 Cross roller guide 11 Spherical surface Bearing 11a Spherical body 11b Spherical seat 12 Seat plate 13 Bolt 14 Fixed stage 15 Tension coil spring 16 Compression spring 17 Sample base 18 Sample 19 Stage base 19a Stage base 20 Sample base 21a Spherical body 21b Spherical seat 22 Sample shaft 23 Ball bushing guide 24 Through hole 25 Leaf spring 26 Post 27 Receiving seat 28 Z vertical movement motor 29 Coupling 30 Eccentric cam 30a Rotating shaft 30b Eccentric shaft 30c Bearing 31 Joint shaft 32 φ Rotating motor 33 Motor rotation preventing leaf spring 34 Rx arc motor

Claims (4)

A first moving stage pushed by the rotation of the motor, one end is connected to the first moving stage via a spring plate , and the other end is connected to a tilting shaft having a spherical body and a sample stage, and the spherical body slides. A spherical base, a stage base that supports the middle of the sample stage and the first moving stage, and a sample vertical position adjusting mechanism that moves the sample stage in the direction of the tilt axis. X-ray characterized in that the position of the sample surface is adjusted and the first moving stage is pushed by rotation of the motor, the tilt axis is rotated and tilted along the spherical seat, and the sample stage is tilted. Inclined stage for equipment.   A second moving stage is provided between the first moving stage and the stage base, which is pushed in a direction orthogonal to the first moving stage by rotation of the motor and tilts the tilt axis in a direction orthogonal to the tilting direction by the first moving stage. The second stage is moved by the rotation of the motor, the tilt axis is rotated and tilted along the spherical seat in a direction orthogonal to the tilt direction by the first stage, and the sample stage is tilted. An inclined stage for an X-ray apparatus according to claim 1.   3. An inclination for an X-ray apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a feed mechanism is formed by a feed screw provided on the motor shaft and a nut provided on the moving stage, and the moving stage is pushed by rotation of the motor. stage.   The vertical position adjustment mechanism is mounted on a spherical bearing having a spherical seat on which the spherical body slides, and a through hole provided in the spherical bearing, and adjusts the vertical position of the sample stage in the direction of the tilt axis. A ball bushing guide and an eccentric cam that is rotated by a vertical movement motor and engages with a receiving seat connected to the tilting shaft, and the tilting shaft is moved up and down via the seat by receiving the rotation of the eccentric cam. 2. The tilt stage for an X-ray apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tilt stage is an X-ray apparatus.

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