Method and apparatus for controlled thermal processing
US8021898B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 17, 2010 |
| Grant date | Sep 20, 2011 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 17, 2030 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01J5/802
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A materials processing system comprises a thermal processing chamber including a heating source, a first noncontacting thermal measurement device positioned to measure temperature on a first area of the material being processed, and, a second noncontacting thermal measurement device positioned to measure temperature on a second area of the material being processed, the first device being relatively more sensitive to changes in surface emissivity than the second device. By comparing the outputs of the two devices, emissivity changes can be detected and used as a proxy for some physical change in the workpiece and thereby determine when the desired process has been completed. The system may be used to develop a process recipe, or it may be part of a system for real-time process control based on emissivity changes. Applicable processes include heating, annealing, dopant activation, silicide formation, carburization, nitridation, sintering, oxidation, vapor deposition, metallization, and plating.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.