Pyrometer

1 . A method of monitoring a substrate comprising:

directing thermal radiation from a substrate to a pixel array sensor, wherein the substrate has a surface; and

measuring temperature of the substrate from the thermal radiation by the pixel array sensor.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the surface includes a film deposited on the substrate.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of directing thermal radiation from a substrate to a pixel array sensor comprises directing thermal radiation from different positions of the substrate to different segments of the pixel array sensor respectively.

4 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising the step of measuring temperature and correlating the temperature to the substrate at different positions.

5 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising the step of directing thermal radiation from a source to the film deposited on the substrate.

6 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising the steps of:

obtaining spectra of emission and reflection energy from the film; and

extracting deposited film thickness information based on the spectra of emission and reflection energy.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the pixel array sensor comprises an infrared detector having a wavelength measurement range about 500 to about 1000 nm.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the pixel array sensor comprises an infrared detector having a wavelength measurement range about 1000 nm to about 100 micron.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the pixel array sensor comprises an infrared detector, a photoconductive detector, a photovoltaic detector or a photodiode detector.

10 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising storing measurement data for analysis.

11 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising processing measurement data in real time.

12 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the thermal radiation is transmitted through optic fiber.

13 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the method further comprises:

directing thermal radiation from different positions of the substrate through a slit mask to illuminate a row of segments of the pixel array sensor, wherein the position and temperature information can be correlated.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the method further comprises:

dispersing light of different wavelengths in the direction perpendicular to the length of the slit by a wavelength dispersive element, wherein one dimension of the pixel array sensor can contain the position information while the other dimension of the pixel array sensor can contain the wavelength information to obtain position sensitive spectrum information.

15 . A position sensitive pyrometer comprising:

a pixel array sensor; and

a lens optically connected to the pixel array sensor and proximate to a substrate path, wherein, when a substrate having a surface is in the substrate path, thermal radiation radiates from the substrate through the lens to the pixel array sensor.

16 . The position sensitive pyrometer of claim 15 , wherein the surface includes a film deposited on the substrate.

17 . The position sensitive pyrometer of claim 15 , further comprising a plurality of lenses optically connected to the pixel array sensor and proximate to a substrate path, wherein the lenses are directed toward a plurality of positions on the substrate path.

18 . The position sensitive pyrometer of claim 16 , wherein, when a substrate is in the substrate path, thermal radiation can radiate from a plurality of positions on the substrate through the plurality of lenses to the pixel array sensor.

19 . The position sensitive pyrometer of claim 15 , wherein the lens is optically connected to the pixel array sensor with an optic fiber cable.

20 . The position sensitive pyrometer of claim 16 further comprising:

an active spectral pyrometry device configured to extract deposited film thickness information based on spectra of emission and reflection energy from the film.

21 . The position sensitive pyrometer of claim 20 , wherein the active spectral pyrometry device comprises a light source generating and directing a light beam onto the film.

22 . The position sensitive pyrometer of claim 15 , wherein the pixel array sensor comprises an infrared detector, a photoconductive detector, a photovoltaic detector or a photodiode detector.

23 . The position sensitive pyrometer of claim 15 , wherein the pixel array sensor comprises an infrared detector having a wavelength measurement range about 500 to about 1000 nm.

24 . The position sensitive pyrometer of claim 15 , wherein the pixel array sensor comprises an infrared detector having a wavelength measurement range about 1000 nm to about 100 micron.

25 . The position sensitive pyrometer of claim 15 further comprising a measurement data storage module for analysis.

26 . The position sensitive pyrometer of claim 15 further comprising a measurement data processing module for real time diagnosis.

27 . The position sensitive pyrometer of claim 15 further comprising a slit mask, wherein the thermal radiation from different positions of the substrate is directed through the slit mask to illuminate a row of segments of the pixel array sensor, wherein the position and temperature information can be correlated.

28 . The position sensitive pyrometer of claim 27 further comprising a wavelength dispersive element to disperse light of different wavelengths in the direction perpendicular to the length of the slit, wherein one dimension of the pixel array sensor can contain the position information while the other dimension of the pixel array sensor can contain the wavelength information to obtain position sensitive spectrum information.

29 . The position sensitive pyrometer of claim 15 further comprising a spectral imaging module with spectropyrometry.

30 . A position sensitive real time deposition monitor with an in-situ configuration for in line deposition process comprising:

a pixel array sensor comprising an infrared detector;

a lens optically connected to the pixel array sensor and proximate to a substrate path, wherein, when a substrate having a surface is in the substrate path, thermal radiation radiates from a film deposited on the surface through the lens to the pixel array sensor;

an active spectral pyrometry device to extract a deposited film thickness information by measuring and analyzing the self-emission of a surface of the deposited film on the substrate; and

a measurement data processing module for real time diagnosis.

31 . The position sensitive real time deposition monitor of claim 30 , further comprising a plurality of lenses optically connected to the pixel array sensor and proximate to a substrate path, wherein the lenses are directed toward a plurality of positions on the substrate path.

32 . The position sensitive real time deposition monitor of claim 31 , wherein, when a substrate is in the substrate path, thermal radiation can radiate from a plurality of positions on the film through the plurality of lenses to the pixel array sensor.

33 . The position sensitive real time deposition monitor of claim 30 , wherein the lens can be optically connected to the pixel array sensor with an optic fiber cable.

34 . The position sensitive real time deposition monitor of claim 30 , wherein the pixel array sensor comprises an infrared detector, a photoconductive detector, a photovoltaic detector or a photodiode detector.

35 . The position sensitive real time deposition monitor of claim 30 further comprising a measurement data storage module for later analysis.

36 . The position sensitive real time deposition monitor of claim 30 further comprising a slit mask, wherein the thermal radiation from different positions of the substrate is directed through the slit mask to illuminate a row of segments of the pixel array sensor, wherein the position and temperature information can be correlated.

37 . The position sensitive real time deposition monitor of claim 30 further comprising a wavelength dispersive element to disperse light of different wavelengths in the direction perpendicular to the length of the slit, wherein one dimension of the pixel array sensor can contain the position information while the other dimension of the pixel array sensor can contain the wavelength information to obtain position sensitive spectrum information.

38 . The position sensitive real time deposition monitor of claim 30 further comprising a spectral imaging module with spectropyrometry.

39 . The position sensitive real time deposition monitor of claim 30 further comprising a substrate counting module, wherein the counting module can use the signal change caused by the moving substrates to count the number.

40 . The position sensitive real time deposition monitor of claim 39 , wherein, with a preset substrate dimension, the counting module can use the signal change caused by the moving substrates to measure the gaps between the substrates and the substrate moving speed.

41 . A method of monitoring a substrate comprising:

directing light from a light source to a substrate, wherein the light source comprises a near infrared light source,

directing reflection from the substrate to a pixel array sensor, wherein the substrate has a surface; and

measuring temperature of the substrate from the reflection by the pixel array sensor.

42 . The method of claim 41 , wherein the surface includes a film deposited on the substrate.

43 . The method of claim 41 , wherein the step of directing reflection from a substrate to a pixel array sensor comprises directing reflection from different positions of the substrate to different segments of the pixel array sensor respectively.

44 . The method of claim 43 , further comprising the step of measuring temperature and correlating the temperature to the substrate at different positions.

45 . The method of claim 42 , further comprising the steps of:

obtaining spectra of emission and reflection energy from the film; and

extracting deposited film thickness information based on the spectra of emission and reflection energy.

46 . The method of claim 41 , wherein the pixel array sensor comprises an infrared detector.

47 . The method of claim 41 , wherein the pixel array sensor comprises an infrared detector having a wavelength measurement range about 500 to about 1000 nm.

48 . The method of claim 41 , wherein the pixel array sensor comprises an infrared detector having a wavelength measurement range about 1000 nm to about 100 micron.

49 . The method of claim 41 , wherein the pixel array sensor comprises an infrared detector, a photoconductive detector, a photovoltaic detector or a photodiode detector.

50 . The method of claim 41 , further comprising storing measurement data for analysis.

51 . The method of claim 41 , further comprising processing measurement data in real time.

52 . The method of claim 41 , wherein the light from the light source and the reflection from the substrate are transmitted through optic fiber.

53 . The method of claim 44 , wherein the method further comprises:

directing reflection from different positions of the substrate through a slit mask to illuminate a row of segments of the pixel array sensor, wherein the position and temperature information can be correlated.

54 . The method of claim 53 , wherein the method further comprises:

dispersing light of different wavelengths in the direction perpendicular to the length of the slit by a wavelength dispersive element, wherein one dimension of the pixel array sensor can contain the position information while the other dimension of the pixel array sensor can contain the wavelength information to obtain position sensitive spectrum information.