According to one aspect of the present invention, a stage apparatus includes a first stage, a first magnet arrangement, and a stator arrangement that includes a first coil having a first width. The first magnet arrangement is associated with the first stage, and includes a first quadrant and a second quadrant or, more generally, a first sub-array and a second sub-array. The first quadrant has at least one first magnet arranged parallel to a first axis, and the second quadrant has at least one second magnet arranged parallel to a second axis. The first quadrant is adjacent to the second quadrant relative to the first axis, and is spaced apart from the second quadrant by a distance relative to the second axis. The stator arrangement is configured to cooperate with the first magnet arrangement to drive the first stage.