Keywords
Citation
(1998), "SensArray launches thermal TRACK/TC portable maintenance and troubleshooting tool for in situ wafer temperature measurement", Sensor Review, Vol. 18 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/sr.1998.08718dad.001
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 1998, MCB UP Limited
SensArray launches thermal TRACK/TC portable maintenance and troubleshooting tool for in situ wafer temperature measurement
SensArray launches thermal TRACK/TC portable maintenance and troubleshooting tool for in situ wafer temperature measurement
Designed to log and monitor temperature data from thermocouple sensors embedded in wafers, the new tool supports CVD and RTP temperature control
Keywords Sensors, Temperature
SensArray® Corporation has announced that the proven wafer temperature data logging and monitoring technology of its Thermal TRACK™ hand-held maintenance and troubleshooting product line is now available for use with Process Probe® thermo couple instrumented wafers. Designed for CVD and RTP process tools, the new Thermal TRACK/TC logs thermocouple temperature data in real time from an array of up to 17 sensors embedded in wafers to provide direct in situ wafer temperature measurement. Development of this new tool was in response to customer demand for a portable, cost-effective solution to CVD and RTP temperature-related troubleshooting and maintenance (see Plate 1).
Plate 1 SensArray Corporation introduces
the Thermal TRACK/TC™
Key applications for Thermal TRACK/TC include: checking and adjusting pyrometer calibrations, immediate troubleshooting for temperature-related process problems, and running predefined preventive maintenance checks tailored to customer equipment configurations. By taking advantage of the tool's portability and predefined tests, users can quickly and easily perform important maintenance checks on a more regular basis. Data can also be transferred to spreadsheets for further evaluation or to SensArray's Thermal MAP 2® data analysis system for solving process problems.
With Thermal TRACK/TC, the full power of the Thermal TRACK-Thermal MAP product set for in situ direct wafer temperature monitoring and control under process thermal conditions is now available for CVD and RTP. Thermal TRACK is optimized for cost-effective maintenance, monitoring, and troubleshooting. Thermal MAP is a powerful engineering tool that facilitates process problem solving by providing more complex analysis and presentation capabilities for evaluating temperature variation across the wafer surface and over time.
The Thermal TRACK/TC display shows a wafer image with digital temperature indicators at each sensor location and calculates minimum, maximum, and average temperature. Acquisition periods are user-defined from 200 miliseconds to five minutes, depending on the nature of the application. Data storage capacity can be expanded by plugging in a RAM card for 16M or more additional storage space.
The Thermal TRACK product line also offers Thermal TRACK/RTD, which logs data from resistance temperature detectors that operate over a temperature range suitable for lithography applications. SensArray also provides a line of thermocouple and RTD instrumented wafers designed for use with Thermal TRACK products and Thermal MAP 2.
For further information contact SensArray Corporation, 3410 Garrett Drive, Santa Clara, CA 95054; USA. Tel: 001 408 727 4656; Fax: 001 408 496 6929; E-mail: info@sensarray.com