US5911896A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Substrate heating apparatus with glass-ceramic panels and thin film ribbon heater element
Assignee: Azenta Inc
•
Filing: 1997-06-25
•
Granted: 1999-06-15
•
Expires: 2017-06-25
Abstract
Abstract A substrate heating apparatus having a housing forming a substrate receiving chamber and a heater located inside the chamber. The heater has a thin film flat ribbon heater element sandwiched between two glass-ceramic panels.
Inventors
- 👤 Scott C. Holden
- 👤 Mehran Asdigha
- 👤 Lawrence R. Moschini
- 👤 Darius Dilmaghani
- 👤 Mario Valenza
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 02:12
CPC Classifications
H; H05; H05B; H05B3/00; H05B3/20; H05B3/22; H05B3/26; H10; H10P; H10P72/00; H10P72/04; H10P72/0431; H10P72/0436; H05B3/10; H05B3/12; H10P72/0434; H05B2203/00; H05B2203/002; H05B2203/003; H05B2203/013; H05B2203/017
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 20
Claim 1
Independent Claim
57 words
A substrate heating apparatus comprising: a housing forming a substrate receiving chamber; and a heater located inside the chamber, the heater comprising a heater element sandwiched directly between two glass-ceramic panels, wherein the two panels respectively directly contact opposite sides of the heater element, and wherein the heater element is a thin film flat ribbon heater element.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
57 words
A substrate heating apparatus comprising: a housing forming a substrate receiving chamber; and a heater located inside the chamber, the heater comprising a heater element sandwiched directly between two glass-ceramic panels, wherein the two panels respectively directly contact opposite sides of the heater element, and wherein the heater element is a thin film flat ribbon heater element.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
14 words
An apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the heater element has a non-uniform pattern.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
13 words
An apparatus as in claim 2 wherein the pattern includes serpentine looped sections.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
21 words
An apparatus as in claim 3 wherein some of the serpentine looped sections have outer thin sections and inner thicker sections.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
38 words
An apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the heater further comprises pins passing through holes in the heater element and located in recesses of the panels to locate the heater element at a predetermined position between the panels.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
42 words
An apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the heater further comprises a rim shield on top of a top one of the panels with a support web section extending across a top surface of the top panel and having substrate standoffs thereon.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
18 words
An apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the ribbon heater elements has a thickness of about 0.004 inch.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
17 words
An apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the substrate heating apparatus includes a plurality of the heaters.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
21 words
An apparatus as in claim 8 wherein the heaters are attached to an elevator to move the heaters in the chamber.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
73 words
A substrate heater comprising: a ceramic heat transfer element; a thin film ribbon heater element attached directly to the ceramic heat transfer element; and standoffs connected to the ceramic heat transfer element to support a substrate on the ceramic heat transfer element, wherein the heater element has a non-uniform pattern which includes serpentine looped sections and wherein at least some of the serpentine looped sections have outer thin sections and inner thicker sections.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
73 words
A substrate heater comprising: a ceramic heat transfer element; a thin film ribbon heater element attached directly to the ceramic heat transfer element; and standoffs connected to the ceramic heat transfer element to support a substrate on the ceramic heat transfer element, wherein the heater element has a non-uniform pattern which includes serpentine looped sections and wherein at least some of the serpentine looped sections have outer thin sections and inner thicker sections.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
21 words
A heater as in claim 10 wherein the ceramic heat transfer element is comprised of a thin plate of glass-ceramic material.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
18 words
A heater as in claim 11 wherein the thin film ribbon heater element is about 0.004 inch thick.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
30 words
A heater as in claim 12 wherein the heat transfer element has recesses for receiving mounting pins for positioning the thin film ribbon heater element against the heat transfer element.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
25 words
A heater as in claim 10 further comprising another ceramic heat transfer element, the two ceramic heat transfer elements sandwiching the ribbon heater element therebetween.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
42 words
A heater as in claim 10 wherein the heater further comprises a rim shield on top of the ceramic heat transfer element with a support web section extending across a top surface of the heat transfer element and having the standoffs thereon.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
82 words
A substrate heating apparatus comprising: a housing forming a substrate receiving chamber; a top heater connected to the housing in the chamber; and a bottom heater connected to the housing in the chamber, wherein the top heater is a different type of heater than the bottom heater, wherein the bottom heater comprises a thin film flat ribbon heater element attached to a glass-ceramic panel, and wherein the ribbon heater element has serpentine looped sections with outer thin sections and inner thicker sections.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
82 words
A substrate heating apparatus comprising: a housing forming a substrate receiving chamber; a top heater connected to the housing in the chamber; and a bottom heater connected to the housing in the chamber, wherein the top heater is a different type of heater than the bottom heater, wherein the bottom heater comprises a thin film flat ribbon heater element attached to a glass-ceramic panel, and wherein the ribbon heater element has serpentine looped sections with outer thin sections and inner thicker sections.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
21 words
A apparatus as in claim 16 wherein the top heater comprises a coiled wire heater element attached to a glass-ceramic panel.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2002-06-14 | 2002-12-14 | 2003-06-15 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2006-06-14 | 2006-12-14 | 2007-06-15 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2010-06-14 | 2010-12-14 | 2011-06-15 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |