Tim Dubbs, Advanced Energy Industries, Milpitas, CA
Complex systems for coatings, deposition and etch often require precise temperature measurement and control for improved product yields. Other critical parameters may include process pressures, gas line temperatures and chamber wall temperature or strain as a safety concern. Cost-effective, field-proven fiber optic sensing solutions provide significant advantages over other sensor technologies in these demanding environments.
Fiber optic sensors are inherently immune to electromagnetic interference from RF, induction, and microwave sources. They can also be shielded from plasma light interferences to provide stable and accurate measurements. No sensor calibration is required over the design lifetime with minimum fatigue, resulting in lower cost of ownership. Multiple sensors and mixed sensing parameters, such as temperature and strain/pressure can be used on a single fiber optic cable thus reducing the complexity of installations and greatly increasing the density of measurement points. In addition, the fiber optic sensors are ideally suited for ALD and Etch applications, providing excellent accuracy from cryogenic temperatures to 450°C. In this presentation, Advanced Energy will review the status of fiber optic sensor technologies including phosphor decay, Fiber Bragg Gratings, Fabry Perot interferometry and infrared fiber pyrometry, followed by highlights of application solutions for ALD, PECVD and Plasma Etch systems including installation and performance advantages of these sensors.