(6^th November 2023 Arvada, CO, USA) As industries accelerate into an era defined by nanoscale perfection and micron-level accuracy, for many applications the spotlight falls on the sophisticated configuration of gantries to include advanced features that allow the next level of precision within machine motion control systems. These configurations, once reserved for niche applications, have become the backbone of countless manufacturing processes. From the delicate assembly of semiconductor chips to the precision-driven world of medical diagnostics, getting the motion just right is not merely about quality — it’s about ensuring operational efficiency, reducing costly errors, and, in some sectors, guaranteeing safety. In this precision-focused age, ALIO Industries is leading the way, and has an innate understanding of such configurations, and knows that mastering them isn’t a luxury; it’s an imperative for manufacturers aiming to lead the vanguard of innovation.

A gantry configuration in ultra-precise motion control systems refers to a framework used to dynamically move over a relatively large area or workspace with incredible accuracy. This structure typically comprises linear axes that allow movement in multiple directions — often in the X, Y, and Z planes. Within the realm of ultra-precision, gantry systems are meticulously designed to minimize vibrations, thermal expansions, and other disturbances, ensuring that movements are consistent to the scale of microns or even nanometers, making them essential for tasks like micro-assembly or semiconductor fabrication. Additional rotational (yaw) motion pertains to movement around a vertical axis.

Beyond this traditional addition of further axes, ALIO offers a “Yaw Compliance” option that can be used on its configurable gantry robots contributing to their superior precision and +/- 1.5µm accuracy. The Yaw Compliance option is a virtual rotary axis allowing precise compensation for small angular misalignments that also may be used as an actual rotary axis for small intended angular motions.

Bill Hennessey, President at ALIO says, “There is a reason that customers engage with ALIO as they strive to innovate new manufacturing processes and products. Engaging with a motion control systems supplier like ALIO with a deep understanding of motion challenges is vital due to the inherent demand for precision and accuracy in many applications. Whether in manufacturing, or R&D, accurate multi-dimensional movement is crucial. A supplier well-versed in gantry configurations ensures the system offers consistent and reliable motion. Without such specialized knowledge, the risk of motion discrepancies increases, potentially compromising the application’s success. Also, every application has unique motion requirements, making it imperative to avoid a generic, one-size-fits-all approach. Suppliers like ALIO with in-depth expertise can tailor the design of the motion control system to suit specific application demands. This tailored approach not only enhances system performance but can also offer cost savings by eliminating unnecessary features or over-specifications. An optimized system design further benefits the end user by improving the system’s durability and reducing its maintenance needs over its lifetime.

The rapidly evolving nature of many industries means that machinery and equipment such as ALIO’s must also adapt and evolve. The company’s robust understanding of sophisticated configuration of gantries makes it better positioned to anticipate and adapt to future challenges and trends. This adaptability ensures the supplied motion control systems remain relevant and can be updated or modified as demands change, maximizing their usable lifespan and providing a more substantial return on investment for the end user.

In ultra-precise applications, the specifications of gantries are meticulously adapted to suit each task’s unique demands. The scale and reach of the gantry can differ significantly, with some applications necessitating compact, intricate setups, while others might require larger but equally precise systems. Meanwhile, yaw control can vary in its granularity and accuracy. The degree and precision of yaw adjustments needed can be influenced by the intricacies of the task at hand. Tailoring these configurations ensures that every application can meet its distinct precision benchmarks, and ALIO’s Yaw Compliance option contributes greatly to the exacting precision that can be achieved.

Hennessey concludes, “Working with a motion control supplier that lacks a comprehensive understanding of gantries and the addition of further motion axes can lead to significant challenges. Such oversight can result in systems that fail to deliver the required precision and accuracy, potentially causing production inconsistencies or product defects. The inefficiencies introduced might slow down production speeds, leading to operational delays and increased costs. Furthermore, improperly configured systems could face premature wear and tear, necessitating frequent maintenance or replacements. In critical applications, these shortcomings not only translate to financial losses but can also pose serious safety risks and jeopardize mission-critical tasks.”

(25th July 2023, Arvada, CO, USA) Precision motion control systems play a vital role in ensuring high quality and consistency in micro-electronic assembly and testing, particularly when it comes to accurate and repeatable positioning of test probes. ALIO Industries (an Allient Company) is at the forefront of innovation in this area, and is able to provide motion systems that meet the incredibly exacting requirements that are common-place in such applications.

In micro-electronic assembly, the components are incredibly small and delicate, requiring precise placement and alignment. Precision motion control systems, equipped with advanced servo motors and encoders, enable micro-electronic manufacturers to position test probes with micron-level accuracy, reducing the risk of misalignment and potential damage to the sensitive components. This accuracy is critical for verifying the functionality of each individual component and ensuring that they work flawlessly within the intricate circuitry of electronic devices.

In addition, micro-electronic testing demands a high degree of consistency to detect even the slightest defects or variations in performance. Precision motion control systems allow for repeatable positioning of test probes during testing processes, ensuring that each component is examined under identical conditions.

By minimizing positional errors, these systems enable reliable and consistent data collection, reducing the likelihood of false positives or negatives in the testing results. This level of consistency is essential in producing reliable electronic devices, as any deviation or inconsistency in testing could lead to faulty products and costly recalls.

Bill Hennessey, President of ALIO Industries says, “The scale of the components being manipulated when testing and assembling micro electronic devices is regularly on the order of micrometers requiring reliable positioning in the low two-digit nanometers. At such small scales, even the slightest inaccuracies in positioning can lead to faulty connections, misaligned components, or inaccurate test results. At ALIO, we innovate high precision nanometer-level motion solutions that can overcome the challenges of testing and assembling micro-electronic devices by employing advanced technologies and design principles. Our solutions incorporate  the most accurate linear motors on the market and high-resolution encoders to achieve nanometer-level positioning accuracy. Ironless linear motors offer precise and fast motion with outstanding responsive control at high bandwidths, ensuring that even the tiniest adjustments are made accurately. High-resolution encoders provide real-time feedback, allowing for closed-loop control and immediate correction of any positioning deviations.”

ALIO’s solutions also integrate sophisticated control algorithms and error compensation techniques to enhance accuracy further. Advanced control algorithms optimize motion trajectories, ensuring smooth and accurate movements. Error compensation techniques identify and correct systematic errors, such as thermal effects or nonlinearities, which can adversely affect positioning accuracy. By combining these technologies, ALIO’s high precision nanometer-level motion solutions can reliably and consistently address the challenges posed by microelectronic assembly and testing at such minuscule scales.

Hennessey continues, “ALIO’s rotary and linear motion systems provide high precision down to the nanometer level; excellent bi-directional repeatability, high levels of precision and accuracy, even after thousands or millions of cycles; fast response time, quickly responding to changes in position requirements, allowing for efficient and rapid testing and assembly processes; and minimal backlash ensuring that positioning remains accurate and consistent, even when changes in direction are required. As such, our precision motion control systems are indispensable tools in micro-electronic assembly and testing, guaranteeing the utmost accuracy and repeatability in positioning test probes and contributing to the overall quality and reliability of electronic products.

ALIO’s team of experts can be contacted today to discuss your specific testing and assembly requirements.

ALIO Industries is proud to announce that it has just introduced an ISO Class 8 cleanroom to its Arvada, CO facilities with ISO Class 5 (US FED STD 209E: Class 100) workstations.

The cleanroom has been commissioned due to a substantial increase in demand for cleanroom manufacturing and handling, and the facility is fully equipped to handle vacuum and cleanroom products and requirements.

Peter Lehner, Director of Sales and Marketing at ALIO says, “Most of the demand for cleanroom manufacturing is driven by customers in the semiconductor, micro-electronics, and medical industries. Our new cleanroom not only enables contamination control, ensuring the production environment has minimal airborne particles that could compromise product quality (critical for industries that demand high levels of cleanliness to prevent defects or failures in motion control devices), but it also maintains process consistency by offering controlled conditions. The cleanroom simplifies adherence to industry expectations, standards and regulations, and also instills customer confidence by showcasing our commitment to quality, precision, and customer satisfaction for which ALIO is renowned.”

The cleanroom is another in a series of significant investments undertaken by ALIO which also includes on-going investment in maintaining and optimizing its metrology lab and equipment, allowing the company to guarantee the unique one-of-a-kind nanometer-level precision attainment for which it is world famous.

Bryan McCloskey, Operations Manager at ALIO says, “The continuous investment into lean manufacturing principles, our new cleanroom, and our growing metrology lab demonstrates our commitment to quality, cleanliness, and precision. Customers can trust our consistent and reliable products, innovative approach, adherence to standards, and long-term partnership potential, making them confident in receiving the highest-quality motion control solutions.”

(May 9^th 2023, Arvada, CO, USA) ALIO Industries recognizes the challenges associated with testing micro-LED chips, and maintains that precision stages can be a crucial tool in the testing process as they provide the precise positioning and motion control necessary to achieve accuracy and repeatability.

A micro-LED chip is a type of light-emitting diode that is significantly smaller than traditional LEDs, and can be used in a variety of applications, including displays, lighting, and sensing.

One of the main advantages of micro-LEDs is their high brightness and efficiency. They can emit a lot of light using a relatively small amount of power, which makes them energy-efficient and long-lasting. Additionally, micro-LEDs can be used to create highly customizable displays with excellent color accuracy and contrast.

However, micro-LED technology is still relatively new and can be expensive to produce compared to traditional LED technology. Moreover, the testing and manufacturing of micro-LEDs require highly precise equipment and processes due to their small size, which can be a challenge for manufacturers.

Bill Hennessey, President of ALIO picks up the story. “As the micro-LED market gears up for mass production, the focus is shifting to the two major challenges that slow down commercialization — low yield and high cost. Since the chip size of micro LEDs can be as small as a single micron, existing inspection equipment is often inadequate in many respects. Many standard tools simply don’t provide high enough resolution. Moreover, with the smaller pixel sizes, there is also a dramatic rise in the number of pixels that need to be processed during inspection. Test technologies are therefore emerging such as electroluminescence (EL) which is able to identify a great number of defects.”

EL testing is a non-destructive method of testing micro-LEDs and other semiconductor devices, which involves passing a small electrical current through the device, which causes it to emit light. The emitted light can then be measured and analyzed to determine the quality and performance of the device.

EL testing is particularly useful for testing micro-LEDs because it allows for the detection of defects and performance issues that may not be visible using other testing methods. For example, EL testing can detect small defects in the micro-LED structure that may be invisible to the naked eye, such as dislocations or disclinations. Additionally, EL testing can provide information about the uniformity of the device’s emission and the distribution of current within the device.

The EL testing process requires physical probing of the electrical contacts on the micro-LED chips, which must be done with extremely high precision to avoid damage to the devices.

The smaller pixel sizes of micro-LEDs mean that there is a significant increase in the number of pixels that need to be processed during inspection, which makes high-throughput inspection a major challenge. Precision motion control solutions can help to optimize the speed and efficiency of the testing process, enabling rapid and accurate movement of the testing equipment and reducing the time and cost associated with testing large numbers of micro-LED chips.

“ALIO has decades of experience delivering highly repeatable stages with unrivalled point precision®, reaching the “point of interest” in testing within a few nanometers ensuring micro-LED chips don’t get damaged during the EL test,” Hennessey continues. “We offer several motion control technologies that are suitable for testing micro-LEDs. For example, there is the Hybrid Hexapod®, a parallel kinematic motion control system that provides six degrees of freedom with sub-micron precision and repeatability. This technology is ideal for micro-LED testing applications requiring high precision, accuracy, and speed. The Hybrid Hexapod® combines rotary and linear motion to provide a large range of motion and high load capacity, making it suitable for testing large numbers of micro-LEDs simultaneously.”

Also, there are ALIO’s Air Bearing Stages, linear motion control systems that provide frictionless motion with high precision and accuracy. This technology is suitable for micro-LED testing applications that require high-speed and accurate motion control. Air bearing stages are capable of achieving nanometer-level positioning accuracy and repeatability, making them ideal for testing micro-LEDs with high resolution and accuracy.

See the array of motion control options that are available for micro-LED inspection from ALIO HERE, or specific requirements can be plugged into the company’s PRODUCT CONFIGURATOR to see the most suitable motion control solutions.