Combination bake/chill apparatus incorporating low thermal mass, thermally conductive bakeplate

A system for controlling the temperature of an object, said system comprising:

• (a) at least one temperature sensor coupled to the system in a position effective to generate output temperature signals indicative of the temperature of the object;
• (b) a source of a pulse width modulated (PWM) control signal having a controllably variable duty cycle, wherein the PWM control signal is derived from information comprising the temperature signals;
• and
• (c) a low thermal mass, thermally conductive heating member that comprises a surface for supporting the object during heating, said heating member having a controllable heat output level corresponding to the duty cycle of the PWM control signal.

A method of cooling a workpiece to a cooled temperature (T.sub.c), comprising the steps of:

• (a) supporting the workpiece in thermal contact with a low thermal mass, thermally conductive support, wherein the workpiece is at a temperature above T.sub.c ;
• (b) placing the low thermal mass support into thermal contact with a chilling member maintained at a temperature below T.sub.c such that the workpiece is chilled via heat conduction through said support;
• (c) monitoring the temperature of the support during cooling;
• and
• (d) ceasing further chilling when the support is at a temperature substantially corresponding to T.sub.c, wherein said ceasing further chilling comprises physically separating the heating member from the chilling member.

An apparatus for controlling the temperature of a workpiece, said apparatus comprising:

• (a) a sheet-shaped, low thermal mass, thermally conductive heating member comprising first and second opposed major surfaces corresponding to a workpiece supporting surface and a workpiece chilling surface, respectively, and
• (b) a chilling member;
• and
• wherein the apparatus operatively supports the heating member and the chilling member in a first configuration in which the heating member and the chilling member are subjected to a bias tending to pull the workpiece chilling surface into thermal contact with the chilling member, and
• wherein the apparatus operatively supports the heating member and the chilling member in a second configuration in which the bias is overcome and the workpiece chilling surface and the chilling member are thermally decoupled.

A method of baking and chilling a workpiece, comprising the steps of:

• (a) heating the workpiece while the workpiece is supported upon a sheet-shaped, low thermal mass, thermally conductive heating member comprising first and second opposed major surfaces, said first major surface supporting the workpiece;
• (b) placing the second major surface of the bakeplate into thermal contact with a chilling member;
• and
• (c) while the second major surface of the bakeplate is in thermal contact with the chilling member, controlling the heat output of the heating member such that the workpiece supported upon the first major surface is chilled.