HEATER POWER SUPPLIES

UHV Design’s series of DC heater power supplies combines DC power supply with a Eurotherm temperature controller in a single compact unit.
Provides plug & play compatibility with MultiCentre and EpiCentre stages.
The compact, single case unit comprises DC power supply (compatible with RHEED techniques) and an integrated Eurotherm temperature controller. Load current information is displayed on the front panel of the case.
In addition to manual temperature control, the Eurotherm controller includes a convenient autotuning facility. This automatically characterises the heater module and allows for set point temperatures to be achieved in the shortest possible time.
The heater power supplies are compatible with K, C, N and E type thermocouples and are provided with an interlock feature for integration into system control software if required.
UHV Design’s heater power supplies are configured to match the specification of the MultiCentre or EpiCentre stage. Use the part numbering information on the page opposite to find the correct part number.
Heater power supplies are also compatible with UHV Design’s range of Heater Modules

A cost-effective solution to sample heating whilst benefiting from proven cutting-edge heater technology. They comprise CVD processed heating elements packaged in refractory metal cases.
In addition to the complete sample heating solutions offered in the EpiCentre section (page 148) UHV Design also offers a range of individual heater modules for end users to incorporate into their own heater stage designs. The range provides end users with a cost-effective solution to sample heating, whilst benefiting from a proven heater technology used in market leading stages.

Choosing the right element

Until recently, graphite heaters have been used in the majority of deposition stages and are still the mainstay providing robust performance in UHV applications such as MBE. However, graphite heaters oxidise and are consumed when run in the presence of high partial pressures of O2 at high temperature.
For sputtering applications which involve high partial pressures of O2, other technologies are also available with superior performance.

SiCg Elements

Solid Silicon Carbide coated Graphite elements provide improved durability when using oxidising atmospheres by comparison with PgG. Being an insulating form of SiC, holes are required in the coating to make electrical connection and the underlying Graphite is exposed and vulnerable to oxidation at these locations.

sSiC Elements

Solid Silicon Carbide elements (see Figure 1) are manufactured from a conducting solid SiC material in the ß phase and are more robust in all respects. They are durable to mechanical or electrical shocking, reactive gas/oxidation immunity at temperature. They are also optimised to give the very best in temperature uniformity. By virtue of the large radiating surface to gap ratio, all these elements run at considerably lower temperatures than often used metal wire heaters which ensures heater longevity. The typical ratio of heated element surface to meander gap is >5:1 resulting in excellent substrate heating uniformity, even without rotation.