LUXTRON Announces TrueTemp 7150 Ripple Technology, for Non-contact In situ, Real-time RTP Wafer Temperature Measurement in Lamp Heated Environments; Emissivity Independent Accurate Temperature Measurement Featuring LUXTRON's Patented Ripple Technology

Business Wire, July 7, 1997

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 7, 1997--LUXTRON Corporation today introduced the TrueTemp(TM) 7150, an in situ emissivity and temperature measurement system that uses LUXTRON's patented ripple technology to provide non-contact, real-time measurements for rapid thermal processing (RTP) during wafer production.

The compact TrueTemp 7150 provides wafer temperature measurements within 2 degrees C in a range from 600 degrees C to 1200 degrees C from outside the process chamber. TrueTemp 7150 also monitors changes in wafer emissivity resolved to within 0.001.

As wafer geometries shrink and wafer sizes grow, the demand for highly accurate temperature and emissivity measurement have become more critical as RTP is incorporated into more device processing steps.

"Ripple technology provides the most accurate in situ temperature and emissivity measurement available to wafer manufacturers today," said Bob Goodman, president and CEO of LUXTRON. "Accurate measurement translates directly into increased quality with reduced wafer damage."

LUXTRON's ripple technology takes advantage of small changes in radiant output created by the alternating current in heating lamps used in the RTP process. The alternating current effect can be detected in light reflected from the wafer surface and analyzed to determine the wafer's emissivity and thermal radiance. The ripple effect allows for accurate measurement of wafer surface temperature independent of emissivity, heat flow, reflected radiation or the chamber configuration.

The TrueTemp 7150 probe provides analog outputs of 1mV and 10mV per degrees C, K and R thermocouple emulation, 16 bit resolution and monitors emissivity from 0.01 to 1.0.

LUXTRON announced in April that it had reached a cross-licensing agreement with Lucent Technologies to commercialize an in situ, real-time wafer temperature measurement system for rapid thermal processing (RTP), using LUXTRON's patented ripple technique.

The current market for ripple technology is single wafer processing. The technology has applications in ceramic and glass annealing, aluminum rolling, composite curing and reflective metal processing.

LUXTRON Corporation

LUXTRON is a leading supplier of superior sensing products, based on optical and other techniques, for a wide range of critical industrial, semiconductor, medical and R&D uses. The company develops, manufactures and markets unique infrared, heat flow, Fluoroptic(R) sensors, and instrumentation based on optical and other proprietary technologies.

LUXTRON has focused its development and marketing efforts in three main areas: remote fiberoptic temperature sensing, semiconductor process monitoring, and other essential process and temperature measurement applications, all of these in unique and sometime hostile environments.

LUXTRON is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Fairey Group. The Fairey Group is a publicly held, United Kingdom-based conglomerate, which brings together companies with specialist skills in industrial electronics, electrical power, aerospace and defense, filtration and ceramics. The markets are diverse and international, and clients include a high proportion of the leading companies in the U.S.A., Europe, and Asia Pacific.

More information on LUXTRON and its products can be found at the LUXTRON Web site: http://www.luxtron.com .

CONTACT: LUXTRON Corporation

Kimberly Firehammer, 408/727-1600

kimberly@luxtron.com

or

The Benjamin Group Inc.

Jim Graham, 408/559-6090

jgraham@sv.tbgi.com