Position and out-of-straightness measurement of a precision linear air-bearing stage by using a two-degree-of-freedom linear encoder

This paper presents measurement of the X-directional position and the Z-directional out-of-straightness of a precision linear air-bearing stage with a two-degree-of-freedom (two-DOF) linear encoder, which is an optical displacement sensor for simultaneous measurement of the two-DOF displacements. The two-DOF linear encoder is composed of a reflective-type one-axis scale grating and an optical sensor head. A reference grating is placed perpendicular to the scale grating in the optical sensor head. Two-DOF displacements can be obtained from interference signals generated by the +/- 1 order diffracted beams from two gratings. A prototype two-DOF linear encoder employing the scale grating with the grating period of approximately 1.67 mu m measured the X-directional position and the Z-directional out-of-straightness of the linear air-bearing stage.