Surface plate

Abstract: In a movement guiding device, two parallel stationary guides are fixed to a surface plate and plural hydrostatic gas or bearing members are provided for the surface plate and the stationary guides. A Y stage is moved in a Y-axis direction under the influence of these bearing members. Additional hydrostatic gas or air bearing members are provided in relation to the surface plate and the Y stage so as to support an X stage for movement in an X-axis direction orthogonal to the Y-axis direction. Guide of the Y stage in the X-axis direction is made by the stationary guides on the surface plate, while guide thereof in a Z-axis direction perpendicular to an X-Y plane is made by the surface plate. Guide of the X stage in the Y-axis direction is made by the Y stage, while the guide thereof in the Z-axis direction is made by the surface plate, similar to the Y stage. With such structure, any vibration, rolling, or otherwise, of the Y stage is not transmitted to the X stage. Thus, high-precision guide is attainable. Linear motors are used as drive sources for the X and Y stages, so that all movable portions are provided by non-contact structures. Further, suitable brake members are used, which members are operable at a time of an accident of the stage. By this, accidental collision of the stage and/or derailment of the stage from the guide can be prevented.

Abstract: The Finite Element Method (FEM) has been employed to determine the elastic buckling load of uniaxially loaded rectangular perforated plates with length a and width b. Plates with simply supported edges in the out-of-plane direction and subjected to uniaxial end compression in their longitudinal direction are considered. Integer plate aspect ratios, a/b=1, 2, 3 and 4, have been chosen to assess the effect of aspect ratio on the plate buckling load. Two perforation shapes of different sizes are considered; circular, and rectangular with curved corners. The rectangular perforation is oriented such that either its long or its short side is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the plate. The center of perforation was chosen at different locations of the plate. The study shows that the buckling load of a rectangular perforated plate that could be divided into equal square panels is not the same as that of the square panel that contains the perforation when treated as a separate square plate. For rectangular plates, the study recommends not to have the center of a circular hole placed in a critical zone defined by the end half of the outer square panel, to try always to put the hole in an interior panel of the plate, and to have the distance between the edge of a circular hole and the nearest unloaded edge of the plate not less than 0.1b. The study concludes also that the use of a rectangular hole, with curved corners, with its short dimension positioned along the longitudinal direction of the plate is a better option than using a circular hole, from the plate stability point of view.

Abstract: PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for laminating substrates and a device for lamination, in which the pressing force between two substrates can be applied uniformly over the whole substrate, without having to use a precision press mechanism and precision lamination of substrates can be readily performed in a short time, and to provide a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device and a device for manufacture. SOLUTION: Substrates 1, 2 are first mounted on an upper surface plate 15 and a lower surface plate 16, respectively. The upper surface plate 15 and a hollow member 14 are lowered onto the lower surface plate 16, and the pressure in a first space A and in a second space B is reduced. The drive mechanism for the upper surface plate 15 is released and the pressure in the second space B is gradually increased, so as to press the upper surface plate 15 against the lower surface plate 16 by the pressure difference from the first space A. When the cell gap 12 reaches a prescribed value, a sealing material 4 is irradiated with UV rays from a light guide 13 and hardened.

Abstract: A parallel link mechanism comprising at least three expansible and contractible rods supporting, independently of other portions and attitude controllably, a reticule surface plate (12) supporting a reticule stage (RST) retaining a reticule (R) thereon and a wafer surface plate (38) supporting a wafer stage (WST) retaining a wafer (W) thereon, whereby it becomes possible to reduce the weight of a portion, which is supported on the parallel link mechanism, by utilizing the advantages of the parallel link mechanism, carry out an attitude control operation with excellent performance characteristics, a high rigidity and a high accuracy, and reliably prevent the transmission of vibrations between the reticule surface plate (12) and wafer surface plate (38) and other portions, for example, a projection optical system (PL), this enabling a fine pattern formed on the reticule (R) to be transferred to an upper surface of the wafer (W) with a high accuracy.