Temperature control for device under test
AssigneeTemptronic Corporation
InventorsGeorge Eager, Pater Selverstone
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system for and method of precisely controlling the temperature of an electronic component through a range of temperatures by controlling the temperature of a gas forced into contact with the component is disclosed. The system comprises a dual control loop including two sensors, one for measuring the temperature of the gas and the other for sensing the temperature of the component, for controlling the temperature of the gas so as to provide accurate control of the temperature of the component.
Claims17
In a system for precisely controlling the temperature of a substantially solid object through a range of temperatures, said system including (a) support means for supporting said object;
- (b) means, responsive to a control signal, for contorlling the temperature of a fluid;
- (c) means for directing said fluid into direct contact with an object supported by sa support means so as to control the temperature of said object;
- (d) menas for generaitng a first signal as a function of the current temperature of said fluid;
- (e) means for generating a second signal as a function of the desired temperature of said fluid;
- and (f) means for generating said control signal as a function of the different between said first and second signals;
- wherein the improvement comprises:
- said means for generating said second signal as a function of the desired temperature of the fluid includes means for generating said second signal as a function of the difference between the desired temperature of said object and the actual tmeperature of said object.
In a system for precisely controlling the temperature of a substantially solid object through a range of temperatures, said system comprising:
- supporting means for supporting said object;
- means responsive to a first signal, for controlling the temperture of a gas;
- means for directing said gas directly into contact with an object supported by said supporting means;
- means for measuring the temperature of said gas and for generating a second signal as a function of said measured temperature of said gas;
- means for measuring the temperature of said object and for generating a third signal as a fuuction of said measured temperature of said object;
- means for generating a fourth signal as a function of the desired temperature of said object;
- means for generating a fifth signal as a function of the difference between said third and fourth signals;
- and
- means for generating said first signal as a function of said fifth signal.
A method of controlling the precise temperature of an object under test through a range of temperatures by controlling the temperature of a fluid forced into direct contact with said object so that the object can be tested at each of various temperatures within said range, said method comprising the steps of:
- supporting said object so that said fluid directly contacts said object;
- setting the desired temperature of the supported object;
- measuring the current temperature of the supported object;
- determining the difference between the desired temperature of the supported object and the measured temperature of the supported object;
- determining the desired temperature of the fluid as a function of the difference between the desired temperature of the supported object and the measured temperature of the supported object;
- measuring the actual temperature of the fluid;
- and
- controlling the temperature of said fluid as a function of the difference between the desird temperature and the actual temperature of the fluid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.