WATLOW ELECTRIC MANUFACTURING COMPANY

A system includes a rectifier configured to rectify a line power having a line energy, a buck converter configured to generate a desired voltage output based on the rectified line power, and a bypass capacitor disposed between the rectifier and the buck converter, wherein the bypass capacitor is configured to bypass a switching energy of the buck converter to attenuate a plurality of pulses of the rectified line power that are not attenuated by the buck converter, and wherein the plurality of pulses correspond to harmonics of the rectified line power.

A control system for controlling a heater includes a controller configured to select a state model control, as an operation state of the heater, from among a plurality of state model controls, wherein each of the plurality of state model controls comprises one or more operation settings for controlling the heater for the respective state model control, the one or more operation settings comprises a transition condition that causes a transition from the operational state to one other state model control. The controller is configured to control a power supplied to the heater based on the operation state of the heater and a measured electrical characteristic of the heater, wherein the measured electrical characteristic includes at least one of an electric current and a voltage.

A method of detecting a leak-induced abnormal condition in a semiconductor processing system comprising a subsystem. The method includes determining a performance characteristic and a temperature characteristic of the subsystem. The method includes detecting the leak-induced abnormal condition in the semiconductor processing system by determining that a leak-induced abnormal condition is present in the subsystem based on the performance characteristic and the temperature characteristic of the subsystem. The method also includes performing a corrective action when the leak-induced abnormal condition is detected.

A method of calibrating temperature of a resistive element includes: generating a standard resistance-temperature (R-T) curve for the resistive element in an isothermal condition, wherein the resistive element comprises a material with a Curie temperature; generating an operational R-T curve for the resistive element during a normal operation of the resistive element; shifting the operational R-T curve toward the standard R-T curve at the Curie temperature to generate an adjusted operational R-T curve; and adjusting a measured temperature of the resistive element based on a resistance of the resistive element and the adjusted operational R-T curve.

An electric heater system includes an inlet, an outlet, a plurality of heat exchanger assemblies, and one or more connectors. The plurality of heat exchanger assemblies are connected in series. Each heat exchanger assembly includes a vessel, heating elements disposed within the vessel, and a fluid guide member. The connectors secure the vessels of the plurality of heat exchanger assemblies to each other. The connectors are also in fluid communication with the vessels. Fluid entering the inlet flows through the heat exchanger assemblies and through one or more connectors where it exits the outlet. The fluid guide members of the heat exchanger assemblies are of different or the same combinations to generate a predetermined pressure drop between the inlet and the outlet.

A termination assembly for a heater assembly includes a plurality of resistive heaters arranged in discrete power phases, each resistive heater comprising a resistive heating element surrounded by dielectric material and a sheath. The termination assembly includes a plurality of electrically nonconductive members. Each electrically nonconductive member includes a plurality of apertures configured to receive power pins of the plurality of resistive heaters. The termination assembly includes a plurality of connectors configured to connect the power pins to the electrically nonconductive members. The termination assembly includes an electrical circuit embedded in or disposed on at least one of the plurality of electrically nonconductive members.

A system includes a heater bundle having at least one heater assembly with a plurality of heater units. At least one of the heater units defines at least one independently controlled heating zone, and a plurality of power conductors are electrically connected to the heater units. A power supply device includes a controller configured to modulate power to the at least one independently controlled heating zone through the power conductors, and the controller is configured to calculate temperature within the at least one heater unit based on a predefined model and at least one input, and the controller modulates power to the at least one heater unit based on the calculated temperature.

An electrostatic chuck includes a ceramic top plate layer made of a beryllium oxide material, a ceramic bottom plate layer made of a beryllium oxide material, a ceramic middle plate layer disposed between the ceramic top plate layer and the ceramic bottom plate layer, an electrode layer disposed between the ceramic top plate layer and the ceramic middle plate layer, and a heater layer disposed between the ceramic middle plate layer and the ceramic bottom plate layer. The electrode layer joins and hermetically seals the ceramic top plate layer to the ceramic middle plate layer, and the heater layer joins and hermetically seals the ceramic middle plate layer to the ceramic bottom plate layer.

A monolithic heated 3D body includes a thin-walled substrate defining a complex curved exterior surface, and a layered heater applied to the complex curved exterior surface of the thin-walled substrate. The layered heater includes at least one resistive heating layer, a set of termination pads in electrical contact with the at least one resistive heating layer, and a dielectric layer disposed over the at least one resistive heating layer.

The present disclosure generally describes a method and system for converting power to operate a load being supplied by line power having a line energy. The method includes rectifying the line power, bucking the rectified line power to generate a desired voltage output such that current is drawn from the line power in phase with the desired voltage output, and bypassing switching energy created during the bucking of the rectified line power.