What is claimed is:
1. A method of reducing the noise generated by a piezo-actuator drive including a drive member and a piezo-actuator drive means for driving said drive member, said method comprising the steps of providing as piezo-actuator drive means at least a first and a second piezo-actuator element and energizing said piezo-actuator elements in a phase-shifted manner such that the sound waves generated by said first and second piezo-actuator elements cancel each other.
2. A method according to claim 1, wherein at least said first piezo-actuator element includes at least a drive actuator element and a clamping actuator element and said second piezo-actuator element is energized at twice the frequency with which said clamping actuator element is operated.
3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the phase of the energization of said second piezo-actuator element is adjusted for greatest noise reduction.
4. A method according to claim 1, wherein a second actuator drive element is provided, which is essentially identical to said at least one actuator drive element, and both actuator drive elements are operated at the same frequency and the clamping actuator elements and drive actuator elements of the second drive element are energized at a phase shift of 90 with respect to the energization of the clamping and drive actuators of the one actuator drive element.
6. A method according to claim 5, wherein said drive piezos actuators are divided each in two halves which are independently energized and there is a phase shift between the two halves which is at least one vibration period.
7. A method according to claim 1, wherein, for controlling the operating speed of said actuator drive, energization of said drive actuators is selectable so as to skip at least one energization cycle of said clamping actuator.
8. An apparatus for compensating acoustic waves generated by a piezo-actuator drive comprising a movable drive member, a drive shoe arranged adjacent said drive member for engagement therewith, vibrating piezo actuator elements disposed adjacent said movable drive member and including at least one piezo drive element, each piezo drive element consisting of at least two pairs of piezo actuators, each pair comprising clamping actuators and drive actuators arranged at a right angle to each other, each of said clamping and drive actuators being connected to said drive shoe, the clamping actuators for acting on said drive shoe to engage said drive shoe with said drive element and said drive actuators for moving said drive shoe, and at least an additional piezo actuator, which is energized phase-shifted with respect to the clamping actuators and arranged such that its direction of effectiveness is essentially parallel to the operating direction of the clamping actuators.
9. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein at least two piezo actuator drive elements are provided which are disposed opposite each other with respect to said drive member.
10. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said actuator elements include pairs of drive actuators, which are each divided into two halves that can be energized at variably different phases for controlling the drive stroke.
11. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein each piezo actuator element includes an actuator element body provided, at the end opposite said drive shoe with a rigid bridge portion and the actuator element body is divided at its end adjacent said drive shoe by parallel slots into separate sections in each of which one of a clamping piezo actuator and a drive piezo actuator is disposed.
12. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said separate sections form cages which are elastic in the operating direction of said piezo actuator elements.
13. An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said cages are connected to said drive shoe by way of elastic webs extending in the operating direction of the respective piezo actuator element.
14. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said two actuator drive elements are arranged adjacent one another at the same side of said drive member.
15. An apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the piezo actuators of said two actuator drive elements are arranged alternately so that they are intertwined for effective noise cancellation.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
What is claimed is:
1. A sheet coil, comprising:
an electrically insulative sheet substrate; and
at least one coil formed as a wiring trace of an electrically conductive material in a winding direction on the sheet substrate, the coil being divided by at least one slit extending in the winding direction to form multiple partial coils of the coil.
2. The sheet coil of claim 1, wherein the slit divides the coil into multiple separate partial coils arranged parallel to each other on the sheet substrate, the partial coils of the coil being configured to be energized with AC current having the same phase.
3. The sheet coil of claim 2, wherein:
the said wiring trace is formed in a fixed-cycle waveform; and
the sheet substrate with wiring trace is pleat-folded to form the sheet coil, the pleat-folds being regularly spaced from one another relative to the fixed-cycle waveform.
4. The sheet coil of claim 2, further comprising;
a plurality of individual coils formed on the sheet substrate, the coils forming at least one group; and
a connector unit formed on the sheet substrate for serially connecting together the coils of the group and for serially connecting selected partial coils in the group together.
5. The sheet coil of claim 4, wherein:
a count Nb of the partial coils is equal to a divisor of a number of coils Nc facing a stator; and
the connector unit serially connects the selected partial coils together at sites that are shifted by one from one partial coil to the next.
6. The sheet coil of claim 4, wherein the connector unit is made of an electrically insulative sheet substrate with connective wiring traces formed thereon of an electrically conductive material, the connector unit being contiguous with the sheet coil.
7. The sheet coil of claim 2, further comprising:
a plurality of individual coils formed on the sheet substrate, the coils forming at least one group; and
a connector unit formed on the sheet substrate for serially connecting together the coils of the group and for serially connecting selected partial coils in the group, the partial coils being selected individually from each of the coils of the group.
8. The sheet coil of claim 7, wherein the connector unit serially connects the partial coils together using at least two partial coils located in symmetrical positions within each coil.
9. A sheet coil, comprising:
an electrically insulative substrate configured as a sheet extending in an longitudinal winding direction;
multiple coils each formed as a respective wiring trace on the insulative substrate and extending in the winding direction;
each coil comprising at least one slit extending in the winding direction so as to form multiple respective partial coils of the coil; and
in each coil, the respective partial coils being situated parallel to each other and identically energized.
10. The sheet coil of claim 9, wherein, in each coil, the respective partial coils are electrically separated from each other on the insulative substrate.
11. The sheet coil of claim 9, wherein, in each coil, the respective partial coils are electrically connected to each other on the insulative substrate by one or more linking units.
12. The sheet coil of claim 9, wherein:
each coil is defined by a respective wiring-trace pattern separated on the insulative substrate from adjacent wiring-trace patterns by a width (w1); and
with respect to each coil, each partial coil being separated from adjacent partial coils of the coil by a width (w2), wherein w2<w1.
13. The sheet coil of claim 9, wherein:
each coil has a cyclic profile in the winding direction; and
the substrate is pleat-folded along periodic fold lines extending perpendicular to the winding direction.
14. The sheet coil of claim 13, wherein:
the cyclic profile has a period (); and
the fold lines are spaced from each other, in the winding direction, by 2.
15. The sheet coil of claim 14, wherein:
the cyclic profile is trapezoidal, with mountains and valleys extending in opposite directions perpendicular to the winding direction; and
respective fold lines are situated in each mountain and in each valley.
16. The sheet coil of claim 9, wherein the sheet coil comprises a number of coils that is an integer multiple of 3, so as to form at least one set of three coils.
17. The sheet coil of claim 16, wherein each coil in a set is energized by AC current having a different respective phase.
18. The sheet coil of claim 16, further comprising at least two sets of coils, each set including three respective coils, the coils of the sheet coil being divided into three groups of respective coils, each group including a coil from each set that is energized with a respective phase of 3-phase AC current for the respective group.
19. The sheet coil of claim 18, wherein, in each group, the partial coils of each constituent coil are connected in parallel with each other and the constituent coils are connected in series with each other.
20. The sheet coil of claim 18, wherein:
in each group, the constituent coils are connected in series with each other; and
in each group, the partial coils are connected to each other such that a first partial coil of a first coil is connected in series to a second partial coil of a second coil, a second partial coil of the first coil is connected in series to a third partial coil of the second coil, and a third partial coil of the first coil is connected in series to a first partial coil of the second coil.
21. The sheet coil of claim 20, further comprising an integral connector unit formed on the insulative substrate, the connector unit comprising wiring traces for connecting respective pairs of partial coils together.
22. The sheet coil of claim 18, wherein:
in each group, the constituent coils are connected in series with each other; and
in each group, the partial coils are connected to each other such that a first partial coil of a first coil is connected in series to a third partial coil of a second coil, a second partial coil of the first coil is connected in series to a second partial coil of the second coil, and a third partial coil of the first coil is connected in series to a first partial coil of the second coil.
23. The sheet coil of claim 22, further comprising an integral connector unit formed on the insulative substrate, the connector unit comprising wiring traces for connecting respective pairs of partial coils together.
24. The sheet coil of claim 9, comprising multiple sets of coils, wherein each set includes (m) coils (m2), and each coil has (m1) slits that form (n) partial coils of the coil (nm).
25. The sheet coil of claim 9, comprising multiple sets of coils, wherein each set includes (m) coils (m2), and each coil has (k1) slits that form a number of partial coils equal to a divisor (k), including m, of the number (m) of coils.
26. The sheet coil of claim 9, further comprising an integral connector unit formed on the insulative substrate, the connector unit being configured to connect selected partial coils together.
27. A linear motor, comprising an armature including the sheet coil of claim 1.
28. A stage unit, comprising the linear motor of claim 27.
29. A lithographic exposure apparatus, comprising the stage unit of claim 28.
30. A linear motor, comprising an armature including the sheet coil of claim 9.
31. A stage unit, comprising the linear motor of claim 29.
32. A lithographic exposure apparatus, comprising the stage unit of claim 31.
33. A method for manufacturing a microelectronic device, comprising the steps:
(a) preparing a substrate;
(b) processing the substrate; and
(c) assembling devices formed on the substrate during steps (a) and (b),
wherein step (b) comprises the steps of (i) applying a resist to the substrate; (ii) exposing the resist; and (iii) developing the resist; and step (ii) comprises providing a lithographic exposure apparatus as recited in claim 29; and using the lithographic exposure apparatus to expose the resist with the pattern defined on the reticle.
34. A method for manufacturing a microelectronic device, comprising the steps:
(a) preparing a substrate;
(b) processing the substrate; and
(c) assembling devices formed on the substrate during steps (a) and (b),
wherein step (b) comprises the steps of (i) applying a resist to the substrate; (ii) exposing the resist; and (iii) developing the resist; and step (ii) comprises providing a lithographic exposure apparatus as recited in claim 32; and using the lithographic exposure apparatus to expose the resist with the pattern defined on the reticle.