ETEL, a HEIDENHAIN company that supplies high-performance motion-control components and complete motion platforms, has introduced the METIS HP. The new full air-bearing planar platform is designed for demanding step-and-scan semiconductor applications, including direct laser writing and high-resolution optical inspection systems. ETEL says the product strengthens its position in high-precision motion control by combining high speed and stability with dynamic straightness and projected tool-point measurement.
At the core of the METIS HP is a multi-degree-of-freedom (mDoF) HEIDENHAIN encoder. According to ETEL, this design ensures accuracy without thermal drift and enables projected tool-point measurement. The company's controllers can emulate a transistor-transistor logic (TTL) position signal for use as a trigger event. ETEL presents this approach as an alternative to the classical interferometer used as an advanced trigger generator. The company says the platform removes the need for a mirror on the carriage and avoids air lensing effects and air perturbation, while also lowering cost.
Specified accuracy and dynamic performance
ETEL lists ±150 nm accuracy over the full XY stroke after mapping and ±150 nm dynamic straightness at speeds up to 1 m/s. The platform's dynamic capabilities reach accelerations up to 20 m/s². According to the company, these characteristics minimize turnaround time and increase machine throughput in step-and-scan applications. ETEL presents these figures as product specifications.
For high-end inspection in advanced packaging, rapid and precise focal-distance adjustment is required. The METIS HP includes a high-bandwidth 4-DoF module that provides fine control over the Z, tip, tilt and theta axes. ETEL says this makes the platform suited to these demanding inspection tasks.
In direct laser writing and maskless lithography, the platform's XY accuracy and scanning stability are the performance attributes ETEL highlights. For inspection systems, the 4-DoF module is presented as a means of making rapid focal adjustments while the platform maintains its scanning motion.
Target applications and substrate size
Stéphane Pellegrini, product manager at ETEL, said the METIS HP builds on the company's long-standing expertise in high-precision platforms and provides the trajectory quality required for advanced optical processes. He said its speed stability and dynamic straightness are intended to ensure consistent performance even at high scanning velocities. The platform supports panel sizes up to 600 mm × 600 mm. According to ETEL, it addresses the growing need for next-generation maskless lithography with large-area substrates.
The launch places the METIS HP in a semiconductor equipment segment where motion accuracy, scanning stability and throughput are closely linked. ETEL's announcement highlights the platform's encoder architecture, trigger-signal emulation and 4-DoF focus module for step-and-scan, direct-writing and inspection systems.