Inline particle sensor
AssigneeCyberOptics Corporation
InventorsFelix J. Schuda, Ferris J. Chen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An inline particle sensor includes a sensor head configured to mount within a fitting, the sensor head including a laser source sealed and isolated from a sensing volume and configured to emit a laser beam through the sensing volume and a detector arranged to detect particles in the sensing volume that pass through the laser beam. The vacuum particle sensor further includes electronics coupled to the sensor head and configured to receive a signal indicative of the particles from the detector and provide a particle output based on the signal.
Claims23
An inline particle sensor comprising:
- a sensor head configured to mount within a fitting, the sensor head including a laser source configured to emit a laser beam through a sensing volume and a detector arranged to detect laser light scattered by particles in the sensing area passing through the laser beam;
- and
- electronics coupled to the sensor head and configured to receive a signal from the detector indicative of light scattered from by particles and provide a particle output based on the signal.
An inline particle sensor system comprising:
- a vacuum pump;
- a vacuum pump line;
- a process chamber;
- a fitting fluidically coupled to the vacuum pump line between the vacuum pump and the process chamber;
- an inline particle sensor coupled to the fitting and configured to sense scattered light of particles within the sensor system and generate a sensor signal indicative of the presence of the particles;
- and
- electronics coupled to the vacuum particle sensor configured to receive the sensor signal and generate a particle output based on the sensor signal.
An inline particle sensor system comprising:
- a process chamber;
- a vacuum pump line coupled to the process chamber and configured to allow fluid flow from the process chamber into the vacuum pump line;
- a first vacuum pump coupled to the vacuum pump line;
- a second vacuum pump coupled to the vacuum pump line;
- a fitting fluidically coupled to the vacuum pump line between the first and second vacuum pumps and between one of either the first or second vacuum pumps and the process chamber;
- an inline particle sensor coupled to the fitting and configured to sense scattered light of particles within the system and generate a sensor signal indicative of the presence of particles;
- and
- electronics coupled to the sensor configured to receive the sensor signal and determine a particle output based on the sensor signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.