INEXPENSIVE, BROAD COMMUNICATION NETWORK FOR THE DEAF

Not Available Novel stages for step and scan photolithography machine tools will be designed in this Phase I SBIR program. To achieve performance levels required in next generation machines, the stages will be designed from advanced composite materials. Five major steps will exist in the work plan. First, the dimensional and performance requirements for next generation machine tools will be determined and documented. Second, property data will be compiled for both traditional materials and M4 Technologies' advanced composites. Third, using the requirements and compilation of property data, two stage designs will be generated. One design will be idealized, and will not take into account current manufacturing constraints with advanced composite materials. It will be a target for future optimization efforts. The other design will take into account current processing and geometric limitations with composite materials, thus yielding a manufacturable design. The remaining tasks will include a design review and the generation of cost projections. The program will utilize many of the internal skills possessed by M3 Technologies, incliuding design and analysis of motion control systems; manufacture of subsystems for semiconductor fabrication machine tools; development and manufacture of advanced composite materials; characterization of materials; and high precision measurement of dimensional and flatness tolerances.