The DVIA series of active vibration isolation systems have been designed to isolate nanoscale metrology and ultra-precise inspection tools that are extremely susceptible to low-frequency vibrations from the floor and the payload. Integrated sensors constantly measure these vibrations and send data to a Digital Signal Processor (DSP). The DSP processes the data and operates the actuators to generate equal and opposite forces that cancel and dampen the incoming vibrations. These feedback and feedforward control mechanisms reduce vibrations in real time, ensuring effective isolation in all frequency bands.
Active Isolation in Six Degrees of Freedom
The DVIA Series controls vibrations in three translational degrees of motions (X, Y and Z) and three rotational degrees of motions (pitch, roll and yaw).
We provide the following product series with features and specifications suitable for a wide range of applications:
- DVIA-T Series: Tabletop active isolation platform ideal for lightweight metrology equipment.
- DVIA-M, MB, ML, MO Series: Advanced active vibration isolation platforms designed for heavy electron microscope models.
- DVIA-U, UB, UD Series: Modular active vibration isolation platforms for metrology equipment with linear stages.
- DVIA-P Series: Active isolation system with pneumatic actuators, built in with concrete structures for semiconductor fabrication and metrology equipment.
On-Site Survey and Tuning for Maximum Performance
Vibration levels vary with environment, location, and vibration sources. As manufacturers of ultra-precision metrology tools have strict environmental requirements, installation sites must meet manufacturers’ specifications for vibration, acoustic noise, and magnetic fields for the optimal performance level of the tools. Therefore, we offer on-site tuning by our experienced engineers to guarantee the maximum performance level and customer satisfaction. Our engineers conduct a site survey to measure vibration data which is used to tune the feedback and feedforward control systems, maximising vibration isolation performance. We also provide recommendations for appropriate solutions to improve the environmental conditions.
DVIA-T Series: Active Tabletop Vibration Isolation platforms
The DVIA-T series is one of the most advanced tabletop active vibration isolation platform, highly effective in isolating ambient vibrations ranging from 1-10 Hz, where lightweight nanoscale imaging instruments tend to be unstable and disrupted.
It has the following features:
- Sub-Hertz Vibration Isolation Performance: These systems start to isolate at 0.5 Hz, achieving 40 – 80 % isolation at 1 Hz, ≥ 90% above 2 Hz, and 99.0% at 10 Hz.
- Payload handling: 90 kg (150 kg optional maximum) payload capacity with auto-levelling capability.
- Vibration isolation in six degrees of freedom.
- Robust plug and play operation: Requires only electricity and no air supply.
- Compact, elegant design: portable and lightweight (smallest instrument weighs 25 kg), can be carried and installed anywhere.
- Real-Time monitoring on LCD display: GUI software allows users to monitor real-time vibration levels and the status of automatic leveling.
- Passive Isolator + Actuator Configuration: Metal Spring + Electromagnetic Actuators, which reduce high-frequency vibrations
- Customisable options: Laminated and tapped-hole stainless steel top surfaces are available.
Applications
- Tabletop SEM
- Atomic Force Microscopy
- Scanning Probe Microscopy
- Optical Microscopy
- Confocal Microscopy
- Interferometry
- Micromanipulation
- Nanoindentation
- 3D Optical Surface Metrology
- Ultra-Precision Metrology Tools
It is specifically suitable for IVF Manipulation procedures and life science applications requiring nanoscale procedures in highly isolated environments.
Specifications
DVIA-M Series: Active Isolation Systems for Nanoscale Imaging
The DVIA-M series is an advanced built-in active vibration isolation system for nanoscale imaging instruments such as electron microscopes.
It has the following features:
- Low-frequency Vibration Isolation Performance: These systems start to isolate at 0.5 Hz, achieving 40 – 80 % isolation at 1 Hz, ≥ 90% above 2 Hz, and 99.0% at 10 Hz.
- Vibration isolation in six degrees of freedom
- Load Capacity: 500 – 6000 kg depending on the model version and application requirement.
- Passive + Actuator Configuration: Air Spring + Electromagnetic Actuators. This combination guarantees stiffness and isolation at high frequencies.
DVIA-MB Series: Base active vibration isolation platform
The DVIA-MB series is a Base active vibration isolation platform custom-made for high-end electron microscopy applications such as SEM, TEM, and FIB. These instruments are extremely susceptible to low-frequency vibrations in the critical range of 1-5 Hz. The DVIA-MB system provides a complete vibration-controlled environment necessary for producing high-resolution images of biological and non-biological specimens.
It has the following features:
- Sub-Hertz Vibration Isolation Performance: These systems start to isolate at 0.5 Hz, achieving 50 – 80 % isolation at 1 Hz, ≥ 90% above 2 Hz.
- Vibration isolation in six degrees of freedom
- Passive isolator + Actuator configuration: Air Spring + Electromagnetic Actuators. The elements of air springs support payloads from 500 kg to 6000 kg and reduce high frequency vibrations.
Custom Options:
- Seismic brackets to fix equipment to the active vibration isolation platform and fix the platform to the building structure in the event of potential earthquakes.
- Custom platforms such as Table and Cradle geometries are available for different microscope models.
Applications
- Scanning Electron Microscopy
- Transmission Electron Microscopy
- Scanning Transmission Electron Microscopy
- Scanning Tunneling Electron Microscopy
- Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
- Single Crystal X-Ray Diffraction
Specifications
DVIA-ML Series: Low-profile Active Vibration Isolation systems
The DVIA-ML series is one of the most advanced active vibration isolation systems, equipped with cutting-edge hardware and software, including advanced sensors, real-time data processing, and adaptive control algorithms. It also provides a fully controlled vibration environment for the most sensitive electron microscopes.
It has the following features:
- Vibration Isolation performance: starts to isolate floor vibrations at 0.5 Hz, achieving 90% vibration isolation at 1 Hz.
- Low profile platform: suitable for tall electron microscopes in space-constrained environments.
- Customisable design: Available in multiple configurations with customisable geometries for diverse application requirements.
- Isolation in six degrees of freedom
- Advanced sensing/actuating capabilities: The sensor amplifier board amplifies the gains of the highly sensitive velocity sensors at low frequencies down to approximately 0.3 Hz. This enables exceptional isolation performance at 1 Hz.
- Fast feedback and feedforward mechanisms: Digital Signal Processor (DSP) has a response time of 0.0005 seconds.
- Low magnetic field interference: An exceptionally low magnetic field of less than 0.05μT is maintained.
DVIA–MO Series: Hybrid Optical Table active vibration isolation system
The DVIA-MO series combines high-performance optical tabletops with a honeycomb steel core structure. DVIA-M active isolators offer superior vibration isolation performance and damping for the most challenging applications in photonics, laser, and spectroscopy, requiring low-frequency vibration isolation below 5 Hz.
DVIA-MO has the following features:
- Sub-hertz Isolation performance: Achieves 50% – 80% vibration isolation at 1 Hz and 90% vibration isolation at 2 Hz.
- Extremely rigid Optical Table: Substantial stiffness to minimise relative motions between existing optical elements that are mounted on the optical table.
- Isolation in six degrees of freedom
- Load Capacity: 500 kg – 6000 kg, according to requirements
- Nanoscale Resolution Microcopy
- Photonics & Laser experiments and processes
- Holography
- Spectroscopy
- Overhead Shelf
- Enclosures
- Clean Booth
- Dark Booth
Specifications
DVIA-U Series: Modular Active Vibration Isolation Systems
The DVIA-U Series is a low-profile modular active vibration isolation system specifically designed for SEM and nanoscale metrology tools with linear stages.
It has the following features:
- Isolation performance: starts to isolate at 0.5 Hz, achieving ≥ 90% vibration isolation at ≥ 4 Hz, and 97% at 10 Hz in six degrees of freedom.
- Passive Isolation with Metal Springs: Operates on electrical power and needs no air supply. Metal spring provides higher stiffness and improved settling time, suitable for metrology equipment with linear stages.
- Simple installation: Includes two isolator modules kept under the tools of various shapes and sizes. Raising the leveling feet eliminates the need to lift the instrument reducing installation efforts and costs.
Desk Platform Option (DVIA-UD Series): An ergonomic desk isolation platform with integrated DVIA-U active vibration isolators, enabling comfortable operation for users. DVIA-UD can be custom-designed to fit specific application dimensions and form factors.
Base Platform Option (DVIA-UB Series): Base platform with integrated DVIA-U active isolators, designed for tall and heavy metrology equipment.
Applications
- Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)
- Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM)
- Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM)
- Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM)
- Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (NMR)
- High-Peformance Metrology Tools
Specifications
DVIA-P Series: Active Pneumatic Vibration Isolation System
The DVIA-P series is an advanced active pneumatic vibration isolation system for metrology and inspection tools in semiconductor fabrication processes, integrated with ultra-precise motorised linear stages. These tools require vibration isolation in the low-frequency range and an ultra-fast settling time. The DVIA-P isolators incorporate extremely sensitive sensors and powerful pneumatic actuators with feedforward and feedback control systems to generate enormous forces that counteract vibrations from building floors and tools.
The DVIA-P series has the following features which make it uniquely suitable for use in semiconductor processes:
- Exceptional vibration isolation performance: Achieving 40 – 70% isolation at 2 Hz, ≥90% isolation above 4 Hz in six degrees of freedom.
- Maximum load capacity: Up to 50000 kg, depending on the model and the application requirement.
- Designed for semiconductor metrology equipment: The DVIA-P series is stiffer by design than passive vibration isolation systems due to the enormous counter-forces that pneumatic actuators can generate to support moving stage applications.
- Smart control system with Digital Signal Processors:
- A digital controller employs an A/D 19-channel 16-bit and a D/A 10-channel 24-bit D/A converter to obtain synchronous sampling of vibrations from all sources.
- Accelerometers instantly detect vibrations from the floor or the moving stages in real-time.
- Position sensors continuously measure the position of the isolation system.
- The digital controller constantly calculates all sources of vibration and then transmits signals to drive the pneumatic actuators which generate counter-forces proportional to the stage rotational moment and the stage vibration force.
- This reduces the position displacement of the linear stage drastically, improving the position accuracy of the system down to 10 μm.
- The acceleration feedback control minimises the displacement and vibrations, ensuring ultra-fast settling times down to 0.3 seconds.
Applications
DVIA-P series is designed for semiconductor fabrication and display applications involving nanoscale measurement, imaging, and inspection tools such as:
- Critical Dimension (CD)-SEM
- Photomask Repair
- Photomask Qualification
- Automated AFM
- Mask Aligner
- X-Ray Metrology
- X-Ray Defect Inspection
- E-Beam Lithography System
- Non-Contact 3D Sufrace Metrology
- Thin Flim Thickness Metrology
Specifications
