For nearly 20 years, ALIO Industries has been working at the bleeding-edge of nanometer-level motion control. The company has set the standard for ultra-precise and repeatable motion control solutions, including the Hybrid Hexapod® which has less than 100 nm 3-Dimensional 6 axis Point Precision® repeatability, making it an essential technology for mission critical applications in the laser processing, optical inspection, photonics, semiconductor, metrology, and medical device sectors, and indeed all micro-machining projects.
However, it is the company’s ability to truly customize its core motion control solutions that sets it apart from alternative solution providers, offering significant value added by exactly matching OEM customers’ needs as well as pushing the envelope for new world nano-precision applications. ALIO’s on-going focus on exceeding OEM requirements helps its customers become leaders in their respective industry sectors.
Customers approach ALIO for unique applications due to the company’s long track record of successfully delivering complex prototypes that meet or exceed specifications the first time.
The company’s unwavering focus on honesty and integrity help customers understand the complex nature of precision applications. ALIO informs the customer of what they need to know and not just what they want to hear.
CUSTOMIZED SOLUTIONS FOR SPECIFIC APPLICATIONS WITH VIDEO
Laser Gimbal® Five-Axis Positioning Workstation. ALIO’s Laser Gimbal® Five Axis Positioning Workstation is the world’s only positioning system with 5-D vector path laser triggering. The system provides a novel solution for engineers and manufacturers that are using additive and subtractive laser processing techniques on cutting-edge materials to produce a variety of next generation products. (See video of workstation in action: VIDEO).
Additive Manufacturing – Phone Antenna Direct Printing. ALIO is capable of programmable path and contour control using its novel forward and inverse kinematic algorithms. This Hybrid Hexapod® operates at 100mm/sec 3D path velocity and is capable of micron-level path accuracy. In this Hybrid Hexapod® system the nozzle proximity is kept to within 5 microns of surface and was designed for a 24/7 production environment. (See video of ALIO smart phone antenna printing: VIDEO).
Optical Camera Module Assembly/Test. ALIO’s MINI Hybrid Hexapod® is ideal for automated lens alignment/bonding to CCD arrays. It has been helpful in building camera array modules, translational OIS, telescopic integrated lenses for miniature cameras used in every day products like cell phone cameras and drones. Any application requiring 6- degrees of freedom positioning with nanometer/arc-sec levels of incremental motion and repeatability is a good fit for this product where product sensor resolution improvements are driving the need for higher precision. (See video of ALIO Mini Hybrid Hexapod in action: VIDEO).
Sensor Metrology. ALIO has experience providing systems to many of the world’s largest metrology companies for their internal measurement systems. The company can provide solutions for even the most precise targets. (See video of ALIO Nano precision 6-Axis Nano Metrology® System: VIDEO).
Hybrid Hexapod® For Wafer Metrology. ALIO has supplied a 5-axis, open frame Hybrid Hexapod® design for wafer metrology. It’s precision comes from precision crossed-roller bearings, and integrated frameless DC servo motors driving ballscrews. It has a cubic travel range of 350mm “X” x 350mm “Y” x 75mm “Z” and tip/tilt travel ± 2 degrees. ALIO was able to provide ± 0.1 micron bidirectional XYZ repeatability. (See video of ALIO’s Hybrid Hexapod® Large Open Center 5-Axis Platform in action: VIDEO).
Wafer Metrology Low-Profile XY-Theta With Large Open Aperture. ALIO’s vacuum expertise and broad selection of stages allowed the opportunity to couple four HV (10-7 Torr) stages to provide a nano-precision® solution. This R-XY-Z stack once again uses a pure linear based Z solution vs. the legacy Z-wedge design. (See video of ALIO’s semiconductor metrology XYR 300 mm open center system in action: VIDEO).
Application: Fiber/Optical Assembly (Private Label). ALIO’s metrology grade XY stage is the foundation for an exceptional three-axis alignment platform. ALIO’s unique design of the Z axis provides a completely linear based vertical solution with near air bearing performance. The Z stage with a high force linear motor, linear encoder, linear high-precision crossed roller bearings and integrated linear air counterbalance exceeds any mechanical based vertical axis on the market as well as some air bearing options. One major advantage to this unique solution allows for the customer’s payload to be mounted directly on the top of the stage in-line with the motor, encoder, bearings, and counterbalance thus minimizing overhanging brackets and greatly reducing potential Abbé errors. ALIO’s linear Z axis is 5 times order of magnitude more precise than old school z-wedge solutions.
Application: Nano Metrology. ALIO has taken its industry-leading, near air-bearing performance open center metrology stages, to the next level. This crossed roller bearing 300mm XY Nano Metrology® stage is DC Servo linear motor driven with 300mm open center, has unmatched motion performance with 3-Sigma, 6-D (linear, straightness, flatness, pitch, yaw and roll) and bi-directional repeatability of less than +/- 250nm. In other words, the volumetric bi-directional repeatability of any XY point is within a sphere of 500nm or less.
Nanometer management of motion is becoming more and more common across industry as technology solutions work to tighter and tighter tolerances. This trend is prevalent in numerous positioning sensitive industries, such as fiber optics, biomedical, micro machines, electronics, semiconductors, energy, optics, aerospace, and synchrotrons.
ALIO Industries is the world leader in the provision of
nano-precision vacuum stage and robotic systems. The company’s extensive range
of ultra-precise and repeatable motion control solutions (with exception of its
air bearing systems) are vacuum compatible. Linear, rotary, open center X-Y,
hexapods, tripods and goniometer stages and systems are available in HV (10-7
TORR) or UHV (10-10 TORR) with ultra low outgassing materials and components
all carefully prepared and baked.
Nano-positioning applications are exacting and are further complicated when the
management of motion is under vacuum, or when the requirement is for extended
travel, finer repeatability, higher speed, greater uptime and — of course
— lower cost. Drive mechanisms, bearings, feedback systems, motion controllers,
and the kinematic structure all need to be designed to perfection to meet
nanometer precision in atmospheric or vacuum environments.
Material Selection. The first design decision when creating a nanometer-level vacuum motion system is the material used for the bearings and structure. Vacuum motion systems are typically made from bare 6061 aluminium or 300 or 400 series stainless steel. Since most precision bearings in vacuum are made from 400 stainless steel, the use of 300 or 400 stainless steel for the motion system is recommended when thermal variations are a feature of the application or experiment. This allows for the bearings and structure to deviate at the same rate, which means the bearings can maintain preload.
Precision Bearings. Mechanical bearings suitable for vacuum applications range from recirculating ball rail, linear ball bearings, ceramic linear ball bearings, and crossed roller bearings. To consistently meet nanometer-level precision, ALIO advocates the use of crossed roller bearings. It is important to use the highest-grade bearings to assure precision. The better quality bearings have rollers matched in size allowing for smoother motion, less friction, and less straightness deviation along the path.
Position Feedback. Position feedback systems in a vacuum chamber have special designs to ensure performance and no outgassing. ALIO uses optical encoders that read either to a tape or glass scale, or when more precision is required read to a scale etched directly into a stainless steel of a ring (for rotary applications), or onto a nickel plated invar spar (for linear applications) The invar scale allows for near laser precision with repeatability and accuracy as it is calibrated using an interferometer. Placing the scale on invar greatly reduces thermal effect that influences the accuracy of other scales. ALIO also uses a laser interferometer to provide resolutions to 38 picometers providing positioning stability — on a suitable mechanical system — to sub-nanometer levels.
Drive Mechanism. For vacuum motion control applications, ALIO uses piezoelectric driven stages and linear and rotary servo motors. Ceramic servo motors are unique in their motion acting as a spiralling friction motor, which allows for unlimited travel without mechanical hysteresis while maintaining nanometer precision. Servo motors are much more robust with higher forces and higher duty cycles but are currently limited to 10-7 Both drive motors have no drive inertia and no hysteresis. These piezo motors stages are well suited for ultra high vacuum environments (10-10 TORR) due to the material’s limited outgassing.
Lubrication. ALIO uses a range of wet to dry vacuum compatible lubricants. The most commonly used is Krytox, which is used with mechanical bearings and screw systems. This viscous lubricant works well, but it must be applied carefully otherwise it will cause bearings to skid and stick. ALIO uses various formulas of Krytox depending on the application and customer preference. The uses of dry lubricants in the form of thin films are easy to apply and offer low friction and smooth motion. There are many dry lubricants available for UHV but ALIO has had great success with two types — Molybdenum Disulfide and Tungsten Disulfide.
Kinematic Structure. Serial kinematics work well for single, two, three, or four axis systems, but the design and machining of these axes is critical when reducing errors such as sine / cosine and orthogonality when stacked, and must address the potential for thermal deviations caused by the motor, and stacking the axis in a manner that increases motion forces. When extreme precision is needed for five and more axes, the parallel kinematic solution is the best choice. With parallel kinematic solutions the error quotient is not additive thus reducing the concern for serial kinematic sine / cosine and orthogonality error quotient. Parallel kinematics typically take up less valuable space in a chamber versus serial kinematics. Hexapods with forward and inverse kinematics have velocity and path motion that can enhance motion profiles that serial kinematics may not be able to handle due to sub-micron errors associated with the stacking of stages.
Motion systems for nanometer precision have many critical components that must work well together for nanometer precision and when you place these components in a UHV chamber these components need to be carefully re-engineered to assure heat dissipation, outgassing, and precision motion.
ALIO invites any companies interested in a nanometer-level motion control solution for vacuum applications to contact the company and engage with experts that can work towards a customized and cost-sensitive system.
