Temperature sensing in controlled environment
OwnerAbid L. Khaninventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Temperature-sensing apparatus is mounted within a wafer chuck to contact the underside surface of a wafer secured thereby. Photoluminescent material on a sensing element that is mounted in resilient contact with a wafer emits luminous flux in response to radiant-energy stimulation with a characteristic intensity that varies with time as a function of temperature. An optical channel couples radiant energy between the photoluminescent material and a remote optical analyzer that supplies pulses of radiant energy and receives the luminous flux to determine the temperature of the sensing element in contact with the wafer.
Claims9
Apparatus for sensing temperature of an object in contact with a reference surface, the apparatus comprising:
- a sensing element resiliently mounted within a recess in the reference surface to contact an object disposed on the reference surface;
- photoluminescent material disposed on the sensing element to emit luminous flux in response to actinic excitation thereof;
- and
- an optical channel having one end positioned relative to the sensing element to transfer luminous flux therebetween, and having an opposite end disposed to optically couple to optical analysis apparatus for sensing luminous flux supplied thereto from the optical channel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.