RU2255321C1 - A coordinate table - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: the invention refers to arrangements for micro displacement of an object on the plane according to two coordinates namely for displacement of samples, sample holders and other elements in scanning probing microscopy.

SUBSTANCE: the coordinate table has a platform on which a carriage with foundation is installed, the first and the second drives are fixed correspondently according to the first and the second coordinates and also the first and the second spring supports located opposite the corresponding drives. At that the drives and spring supports are mated with the carriage. The first and the second drives are fulfilled in the shape of the first and the second microscrews holding ball pushers and mated with the first and the second nuts fixed on the platform. The first spring support has fixed between themselves the first and the second bodies with spherical stay plane each. The second spring support holds the third body also with spherical stay plane. The first and the second spring supports are installed on the platform with possibility of holding-down to the carriage. The carriage is located at the platform with possibility of two coordinates displacement along it and with possibility of interaction with the ball pushers of the first and of the second drives and with spherical stay planes of the first and the second-spring supports. The places of interaction of the carriage with the ball pushers of the first and of the second drives and with spherical stay planes of the first and of the second drives and the spherical stay planes of the first and the second spring supports are fulfilled in the shape pf plain surfaces located at angles less than 90є relatively to the foundation of the carriage.

EFFECT: provides displacement of samples in wide range according to two coordinates with possibility of quick replacement of samples at firm fixing them to the carriage.

7 cl, 3 dwg

Description

The invention relates to nanotechnology, and more particularly to devices that provide micro-movement of an object in a plane in two coordinates (X, Y). For example, the device can be used to move samples, sample holders, and other elements in scanning probe microscopy.

Known coordinate table, consisting of a base, carriage and guides with rollers located along the coordinates X, Y [1].

The first disadvantage of this device is the inability to quickly remove the carriage from the platform, which makes it difficult to replace the sample. The second disadvantage is associated with the complexity of the design of the guides with rollers, which does not allow to create a compact device.

Known coordinate table, where the platform and the carriage are made in one piece, and the guides are thin jumpers in the form of flat springs [2].

The disadvantages of this device are the inability to remove the carriage from the platform and the small stroke of the coordinate table.

There is also known a coordinate table containing a platform on which the first carriage is fixed by means of four flat springs with the ability to move along the X coordinate. Inside the first carriage, also by means of four flat springs, a second carriage is fixed, with the ability to move along the Y coordinate, perpendicular to the X coordinate. The first and second carriages are arranged to interact with the first and second piezo drives mounted on the platform of the coordinate table. The positions of the carriages are fixed by the first and second spring stops, also fixed on the platform [3].

The first disadvantage of this device is the small stroke of the carriages of the coordinate table associated with the use of piezo drives. The second drawback is the inability to remove the carriages, for example, to replace the sample, which is necessary when using the coordinate table in complex technological devices, for example, in scanning probe microscopes (SPM).

The specified device is selected as a prototype of the proposed solution.

The objective of the invention is the creation of a coordinate table that allows you to use it, for example, in probe microscopy to move samples in a wide range along two coordinates, with the possibility of quick replacement of samples with their rigid attachment to the carriage.

The technical result of the invention is to increase the range of the coordinate table.

The specified technical result is achieved in the coordinate table containing the platform on which the carriage with the base is mounted, the first and second drives are fixed in the first and second coordinates, respectively, as well as the first and second spring stops located opposite the respective drives, paired with the carriage, the first and second the drives are made in the form of the first and second microscrews containing ball pushers and mated with the first and second nuts fixed on the platform, the first spring stop contains a fastened each other, the first and second case with a spherical stop surface each, the second spring stop contains a third case also with a spherical stop surface, while the first and second spring stops are mounted on the platform with the possibility of clamping to the carriage, the carriage is located on the platform with the possibility of two-axis movement along it and with the possibility of interaction with ball pushers of the first and second drives and with spherical thrust surfaces of the first and second spring stops, the places of interaction to Roethke with ball pushers of the first and second actuators and spherical abutment surfaces of the first and second spring stops are formed as smooth surfaces disposed at angles smaller than 90 ° to the base of the carriage.

There is an option in which the first and second bodies of the first spring stop are made in the form of the first and second levers, the third body of the second spring stop is made in the form of a third lever, while the levers are mounted for rotation relative to the platform, tilting and releasing the carriage.

There is also an option where three spherical supports are fixed at the base of the carriage on which it is mounted on the platform.

There are also options in which the smooth surfaces of the carriage are formed by overlays of solid material, and the angles α of the smooth surfaces of the carriage at the points of their interaction with the spherical surfaces of the first and second spring stops are smaller than the angles β at the points of their interaction with the ball pushers of the first and second drives.

In some cases, for particularly precise movement of samples, for example, in probe microscopy, it is advisable to make microscrews and nuts of the first and second drives with multidirectional threads.

Figure 1 and 2 shows a view of the coordinate table side and top. In FIG. Figure 3 shows the option of using the coordinate table as part of the SPM.

The coordinate table contains a platform 1, on which the first 2 and second 3 drives are fixed, respectively, according to the first (X) and second (Y) coordinates perpendicular to each other. Drives 2 and 3 are made in the form of the first 4 and second 5 microscrews containing ball pushers 6 and mated with the first 7 and second 8 nuts fixed to the platform 1. Also, the first 9 and second 10 spring stops opposite the corresponding drives are fixed on the platform 1 . The first spring stop 9 contains fastened together the first 11 and second 12 of the housing with a spherical thrust surface 13 each. The housings 11 and 12 can be fastened by a bar 14, as shown in Fig.2. The second spring stop 10 comprises a third housing 15 with a spherical thrust surface 13. The spherical thrust surfaces 13, as well as ball pushers 6, can be made of hard alloy, for example, ШХ15. In the event that it is not technologically advanced to make the entire alloy, the microscrews and stops are advisable to press hard alloy balls into them. In FIG. 1, 2 shows an embodiment of the cases 11, 12 and 15 of the spring stops 9, 10 in the form of levers with the possibility of rotation relative to the platform and tilting.

In addition, a carriage 16 with a base 17 is installed on the platform 1, in which, for example, three supports 18 can be fixed in the form of pressed balls. The platform 1 in contact with the supports 18 contains solid smooth surfaces that can be formed by inserts 19 of solid material, as shown in figure 1. The inserts can be made, for example, of polycor or alloy ШХ15 and glued to the platform 1 with epoxy adhesive, welded, soldered, etc. It should be noted that a variant is possible in which the supports 18 are mounted on the platform 1, and the inserts 19 are mounted on the base 17 of the carriage 16 (not shown). A variant is also possible in which on the carriage 16 made of solid material, protrusions are made as supports 18. The carriage 16 is located on the platform 1 with the possibility of two-coordinate movement along it and with the possibility of interaction with ball pushers 6 of the first 2 and second 3 drives and with spherical thrust surfaces 13 of the first 9 and second 10 spring stops. The places of interaction of the carriage 16 with the spherical thrust surfaces 13 and the ball pushers 6 are made in the form of smooth surfaces located at angles α and β less than 90 ° to the base 17 of the carriage 16. Moreover, the angles α of the smooth surfaces of the carriage in the places of their interaction with the spherical surfaces 13 of the spring the stops 9 and 10 are smaller than the angles β at the points of interaction of the smooth surfaces of the carriage with the ball pushers 6 of the actuators 2 and 3. Figure 1, 2 shows a variant where the smooth surfaces of the carriage are formed by plates 20 of solid material, for example, polycor or steel ШХ15. The pads 20 can be glued to the carriage 10 with epoxy glue, soldered, welded, etc.

A sample holder 21 (not shown in FIG. 2), which can be made of magnetic material, is mounted on the carriage 16. In this case, for example, magnets for fixing it (not shown) can be mounted in the carriage 16. In addition, the holder 21 can be mounted on the carriage 16 using screws and threaded holes 22.

Sample 23 can be secured to holder 21 using screws, flat springs, glue, and the like. (not shown).

Figure 1, 2 shows a variant in which the first 9 and second 10 spring stops are paired with coil springs 24, which are also located with the possibility of interaction with the platform 1. In this case, the shelves 25 interact with the housings 11, 12, 15, and the ends 26 - with platform 1. In this case, it is also possible to use flat or coil springs of a different shape (not shown).

There is also an embodiment of the coordinate table, in which the microscrews 4, 5 and nuts 7, 8 of the first and second drives 2, 3 are made with unidirectional or multidirectional threads.

When using the coordinate table 27 as a part of the SPM 28, the coordinate table 27 is installed on the plate 29. The SPM 28 at the same time contains a piezoscanner 30 with a probe 31. For details on the SPM and its operating principles, see [4, 5].

The device operates as follows. The sample holder 21 with the sample 23 is mounted on the carriage 16. Then, using the drives 2 and 3, the carriage 16 is moved to the desired position. When using the coordinate table 27 as part of the SPM 28 (Fig. 3), to install the sample 23, it is necessary to remove the carriage 16 from the coordinate table 27. For this, the spring stops 9 and 10 are removed from the carriage 16 and removed from the measuring complex. After replacing the sample 23, the carriage 16 is again mounted on the coordinate table 27, for which the spring stops 9 and 10 are retracted, the carriage 16 with the sample 23 is placed on the platform 1 and the spring stops 9 and 10 are released. The spring stops 9 and 10 press the carriage 16 against the ball pushers 6 microscrews 4 and 5. Using microscrews 4 and 5, the carriage 16 with the sample 23 mounted on it is moved along the X and Y coordinates. When the carriage 16 is moved along the X coordinate, the first spring stop 9 rotates relative to the platform, and the spherical stop surface 13 of the second spring stop 10 and ball the pusher 6 of the second micro-screw 5 slides along the faces of the carriage 16. When the carriage 16 is moved along the Y coordinate, the second spring stop 10 rotates relative to the platform, and the spherical thrust surface 13 of the first spring stop 9 and the ball pusher 6 of the first micro-screw 4 slip along the face of the carriage.

When using microscrews 4, 5 with multidirectional threads, movement in the + X, + Y and -X, -Y directions (direction A) will always be preferable to perpendicular movements. This is due to the fact that the directions of movement of the plates 20 and the ball pushers 6 coincide in these directions. That is, it is advisable to coarse install the carriage 16 in the directions + X, -Y and -X, + Y (directions B), and the exact - in directions A.

The implementation of the first and second drives in the form of the first and second microscrews containing spherical pushers and mating with the first and second nuts mounted on the platform, and the first spring stop in the form of fastened together by the first and second cases with a spherical thrust surface each, as well as the second spring an emphasis in the form of a third body with a spherical abutment surface, while the first and second spring stops are mounted on the platform with the possibility of clamping to the carriage, increases the range of movement of the carriage coordinate table.

The implementation of the first and second bodies of the first spring stop fastened together increases the accuracy of two-axis plane-parallel movement of the carriage over the entire range.

The location of the carriage on the platform with the possibility of two-coordinate movement on it and with the possibility of interaction with ball pushers of the first and second drives and with spherical thrust surfaces of the first and second spring stops increases the range of movement of the carriage of the coordinate table. This is due to the fact that as the guides use smooth flat surfaces, and not elastic guides, as in the prototype.

The implementation of the places of interaction of the carriage with ball pushers of the first and second drives and the spherical thrust surfaces of the first and second spring stops in the form of smooth surfaces located at angles less than 90 ° to the base of the carriage ensures the carriage is clamped to the platform and reduces the non-functional movement of the carriage along the Z coordinate throughout range of its movement.

The implementation of the first and second bodies of the first spring stop in the form of the first and second levers and the third body of the second spring stop in the form of a third lever, and the installation of levers with the possibility of rotation relative to the platform, tilting and releasing the carriage simplifies the operation of the coordinate table.

Fixing three spherical supports in the base of the carriage for mounting it on the platform, increases the accuracy of plane-parallel movement of the carriage by reducing the influence of friction forces.

The implementation of the smooth surfaces of the carriage in the form of overlays of solid material can reduce the requirements for the material of manufacture of the carriage, which reduces the complexity and cost of its manufacture, and increases the service life, because if smooth surfaces are damaged, you only need to replace the pads, not the carriage itself.

The implementation of the angles α of the smooth surfaces of the carriage in the places of their interaction with the spherical surfaces of the first and second spring stops smaller than the angles β in the places of their interaction with the ball pushers of the first and second drives prevents the vertical displacement of the carriage when moving it with microscrews. This is due to the fact that the spherical thrust surfaces move along the plates and form the vertical forces of separation of the carriage from the platform. To compensate, it is advisable to reduce the angle α by increasing the vertical components of the clamping forces.

The execution of microscrews and nuts of the first and second drives with unidirectional thread, for example, standard right, provides ease of use of the device.

The execution of microscrews and nuts of the first and second drives with multidirectional threads allows for more accurate movement of the carriage when using the coordinate table in the SPM and increases the durability of smooth surfaces of the carriage.

Literature

1. X-Y stage and charged particle beam exposure apparatus. Patent USA 5,561,299. Patent USA 5,051,594 /

2. Fine positioning device, as for the stage of a scanning tunneling microscope.

3. Dual quad flexure scanner. Patent USA 5,360,974 prototype.

4. Probe microscopy for biology and medicine. V.A. Bykov et al., Sensory Systems, vol. 12, No. 1, 1998, pp. 99-121.

5. Scanning tunneling and atomic force microscopy in surface electrochemistry. A.I. Danilov, Advances in Chemistry 64 (8), 1995, p. 818-833.

Claims (7)

1. A coordinate table comprising a platform on which a carriage with a base is mounted, the first and second drives are fixed in the first and second coordinates, respectively, as well as the first and second spring stops located opposite the respective drives, while the drives and spring stops are associated with the carriage, characterized in that the first and second drives are made in the form of the first and second microscrews containing spherical pushers and mated with the first and second nuts mounted on the platform, the first spring stop contains the first and second bodies replicated between each other with a spherical stop surface each, the second spring stop contains a third case, also with a spherical stop surface, while the first and second spring stops are mounted on the platform with the possibility of pressing against the carriage, the carriage is located on the platform with the possibility of two-coordinate movement along it and with the possibility of interaction with ball pushers of the first and second drives and with spherical thrust surfaces of the first and second spring stops, the places of mutual the actions of the carriage with ball pushers of the first and second drives and spherical thrust surfaces of the first and second spring stops are made in the form of smooth surfaces located at angles less than 90 ° to the base of the carriage. 2. The coordinate table according to claim 1, characterized in that the first and second bodies of the first spring stop are made in the form of the first and second levers, the third body of the second spring stop is made in the form of a third lever, while the levers are mounted for rotation relative to the platform, folding and carriage release. 3. The coordinate table according to claim 1, characterized in that at the base of the carriage three spherical supports are fixed on which it is mounted on the platform. 4. The coordinate table according to claim 1, characterized in that the smooth surface of the carriage is formed by overlays of solid material. 5. The coordinate table according to claim 1, characterized in that the angles α of the smooth surfaces of the carriage in the places of their interaction with the spherical surfaces of the first and second spring stops are less than the angles β in the places of their interaction with ball pushers of the first and second drives. 6. The coordinate table according to claim 1, characterized in that the micro-screws and nuts of the first and second drives are made with unidirectional thread. 7. The coordinate table according to claim 1, characterized in that the micro-screws and nuts of the first and second drives are made with multidirectional threads.

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