ETEL, a HEIDENHAIN company that supplies high-performance motion control components and complete motion platforms, has introduced the METIS HP, a full air-bearing planar platform aimed at demanding step-and-scan semiconductor applications, including direct laser writing and high-resolution optical inspection systems.
The company positions the platform as a further strengthening of its high-precision motion control offering, combining speed and stability with dynamic straightness and a projected tool-point measurement capability.
ETEL presents the METIS HP as a new addition to its portfolio of motion control components and complete motion platforms supplied within the HEIDENHAIN group, and frames the quoted dynamic figures as the basis for its suitability in direct laser writing and high-resolution optical inspection.
Encoder architecture and trigger generation
At the centre of the METIS HP is a multi-degree-of-freedom (mDoF) HEIDENHAIN encoder, which ETEL says maintains accuracy without thermal drift. This architecture enables projected tool-point measurement, and ETEL controllers can emulate a transistor-transistor logic (TTL) position signal for use as a trigger event.
ETEL describes the TTL emulation as an innovative solution and a compelling alternative to the classical interferometer used as an advanced trigger generator. The company lists the consequences: no mirror needs to be added to the carriage, there is no air lensing effect or air perturbation, and the cost is lower.
Quoted specifications
ETEL gives the following performance figures for the METIS HP:
- ±150 nm accuracy over the full XY stroke after mapping;
- ±150 nm dynamic straightness at speeds up to 1 m/s;
- dynamic capability reaching accelerations up to 20 m/s².
The accuracy figure is quoted for the full XY stroke after mapping, and the straightness figure applies at scanning speeds up to 1 m/s. ETEL says these characteristics minimise turnaround time and thereby increase machine throughput for step-and-scan applications.
Fine control for inspection tasks
High-end inspection applications for advanced packaging require rapid and precise focal-distance adjustments. The METIS HP addresses these tasks with a high-bandwidth 4-DoF module that provides fine control over the Z, tip, tilt and theta axes, which ETEL describes as making the platform suitable for such demanding inspection work.
The platform supports panel sizes up to 600 mm × 600 mm, which ETEL says addresses growing demand for next-generation maskless lithography with large-area substrates.
Company comment
Stéphane Pellegrini, Product Manager at ETEL, said the platform builds on the company's long-standing expertise in high-precision platforms and provides the trajectory quality required for advanced optical processes. According to Pellegrini, its speed stability and dynamic straightness are intended to keep performance consistent even at high scanning velocities.
The announcement did not disclose pricing, availability dates, customer installations, production timelines or independent test data.