Magnetic suspension techniques are quite promising for the control of precision motion, since they eliminate the high surface finish requirements of traditional mechanical bearings, and allow the direct control of stage dynamics. The goal of this project is to investigate magnetic suspension techniques for precision motion control at the nanometer level. To achieve such performance requires advances in sensors, mechanical design, and the design and control of electromagnetic actuators. Initial experimental effort will focus on the design and construction of a prototype linear bearing and motor system which is designed to achieve one nanometer resolution with a travel of 50 millimeters. Envisioned application areas for the developed technology are precision stages for photolithography, scanned probe microscopy, and other precision manufacturing tasks.
