IN SITU OPTICAL SURFACE TEMPERATURE MEASURING TECHNIQUES AND DEVICES

1 - 24 . (canceled)

25 . A vacuum processing chamber for performing a processing step, the vacuum processing chamber comprising:

a chamber;

a test substrate, said test substrate having a surface, said surface having a recess therein;

a layer of luminescent material wholly contained within the recess of the test substrate, wherein the luminescent material emits electromagnetic radiation having a detectable optical characteristic that is functionally dependent on the temperature of the test substrate in response to a source of excitation radiation;

a support disposed within the chamber, the support horizontally or vertically supporting the test substrate;

a source of excitation radiation disposed in the support, the source of excitation radiation configured to pass excitation radiation to the layer of luminescent material within the recess of the test substrate; and

a waveguide disposed in the support, the waveguide having an end, the waveguide in optical communication with the layer of luminescent material, wherein the waveguide is configured to measure temperature dependent luminescent radiation emitted by the layer of luminescent material, and wherein the end of the waveguide does not touch the layer of luminescent material.

26 . The vacuum processing chamber of claim 25 , wherein the test substrate includes an optical window that seals said layer of luminescent material in the recess.

27 . The vacuum processing chamber of claim 25 , wherein the optical window is wholly contained within the recess.

28 . The vacuum processing chamber of claim 25 , wherein the processing step is selected from the group consisting of:

physical vapor deposition;

dielectric etching;

optical coating of glass substrates;

chemical vapor deposition;

metal organic vapor deposition;

sputtering;

vaporization;

low pressure chemical vapor deposition; and

atomic layer deposition

29 . The vacuum processing chamber of claim 25 , wherein the support is a chuck.

30 . A vacuum processing chamber for measuring the temperature of a surface of an object, comprising:

a cap having a non-deformable end wall of thermally conducting material and a side wall connected thereto, an outside surface of the end wall being shaped to conform to a shape of the object surface to be measured;

a surface on an inside of the end wall of the cap that emits electromagnetic radiation having a detectable optical characteristic that is proportional to the temperature of the cap end wall; and

a light wave guide having one end held within the cap a distance from the radiation emitting element and in optical communication therewith.

31 . The vacuum processing chamber of claim 30 , wherein the cap non-deformable end wall outside surface includes a majority thereof that is planar.

32 . The vacuum processing chamber of claim 30 , wherein the surface on the inside of the end wall includes a layer of luminescent material attached to an inside of the cap.

33 . The vacuum processing chamber of claim 32 , additionally including an optically transparent cover positioned within the cap over the layer of luminescent material.

34 . The vacuum processing chamber of claim 30 , wherein the electromagnetic radiation emitting surface on the inside of the end wall includes a surface of known emissivity that emits radiation within an infrared range.

35 . The vacuum processing chamber of claim 30 , wherein the surface of known emissivity includes an inside surface of the cap material.