B/e Aerospace, Inc.

Advanced Thermal Sciences Corporation

Matthew Antoniou

Kenneth Wesley Cowans

Glenn Zubillaga

William W Cowans

Bryan Christofferson

In a thermal control system of the type employing a two phase refrigerant that is first compressed and then is divided into a variable mass flow of refrigerant into a hot pressurized gas form and a differential remainder flow of cooled vapor derived from condensation and then thermal expansion, transitions between different temperature levels are enhanced by incremental variations of the mass flow at different control rates.

Thermal control system and method

A system and method for controlling a critical process variable, such as the temperature of one or more temperature control units for cluster tools in a semiconductor fabrication facility, uses dual interrelated PID) algorithms for interrelated but at times separate control of heating capabilities. The temperature control units operate with high power efficiency, because no heating energy is expended during cooling and non-transition modes. When approaching a temperature threshold, however, the heating algorithm is reinstated just long enough to provide minimum undershoot and enabling precise, low per consuming, steady state control at &plusmn;0.1&deg; C., minimizing undershoot and enabling precise steady state control at &plusmn;0.1&deg; C.

Growing community of inventors

Lake Forest, CA, United States of America

Matthew Antoniou