Mks Instruments, Inc.

Wenzel Instruments, Aps

Ole Wenzel

Youfan Gu

Garry Holcomb

Paul Dozoretz

Stephen F Bart

Lei Gu

Micro-Pirani gauge vacuum gauges are described that use low-thermal conductivity support elements. A micro-Pirani gauge or vacuum sensor can include a heating element operative to heat a gas and to produce a signal corresponding to the pressure of the gas; a platform configured to receive the heating element, with the platform having a first coefficient of thermal conductivity; and a support element connected to a substrate and configured to support the platform with the heating element within an aperture disposed in the substrate, with the support element having a second coefficient of thermal conductivity, where the second coefficient of thermal conductivity is less than the first coefficient of thermal conductivity. Multimode pressure sensing including a micro-Pirani gauge are also described.

Micro-Pirani vacuum gauges

A method and apparatus integrates differential pressure measurements and absolute pressure measurements to provide a continuous absolute pressure profile over a wide range of pressures on a single integrated scale. The absolute pressure measurements and differential pressure measurements are obtained, and a correlation factor between the absolute pressure measurements and the differential pressure measurements is determined. The correlation factor is used to normalize the differential pressure measurements to virtual absolute pressure values on a common absolute pressure scale with the absolute pressure measurements. An absolute pressure profile over a wide pressure range includes the absolute pressure measurements in a portion of the range where the absolute pressure measurements are accurate, and it includes the virtual absolute pressure values in another portion of the range where the differential pressure measurements are accurate.

Integrated absolute and differential pressure transducer

A method and apparatus integrates differential pressure measurements and absolute pressure measurements to provide virtual absolute pressure measurements over a wide range of pressures on a single integrated scale.

Transducer apparatus and method combining both an absolute pressure sensor for sensing absolute pressure in the load lock chamber and a differential pressure sensor for sensing a pressure difference between ambient atmospheric pressure and pressure in a load lock chamber and provides control signals for opening an interior door from the load lock chamber into a vacuum processing chamber and for opening an exterior door between ambient atmosphere and the load lock chamber. The transducer can also produce signals to control transition from slow to fast vacuum pump-down of load lock chamber pressure at a predetermined pressure set point.

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Aalsgaarde, Denmark

Ole Wenzel