Temperature processing module

DETAILED DESCRIPTION This invention is concerned with a module for the temperature control of a material substrate.
The module includes a plurality of independent thermally-conductive heating elements arranged in a planar fashion.
An air gap or other suitable resistive material separates each of the thermally-conductive heating elements.
The upper surface of the thermally-conductive heating elements is in thermal contact with the substrate.
The temperature of the thermally-conductive heating elements is raised by a resistive heating element in thermal contact with it.
A support structure holds the thermally-conductive heating elements in a fixed position.
A cooling plate may be located in close proximity to and in the backside of the thermally-conductive heating elements.
In a preferred embodiment, the cooling plate may rest on top of the support structure, thereby maintaining the support structure at a cold temperature.
If maximum cooling is desired, the cooling plate is raised by a lift mechanism to contact the backside of the thermally-conductive heating elements to lower the substrate temperature.
Alternatively, because the support structure is itself in thermal contact with the thermally-conductive heating elements, cooling at appreciable ramp-down rates can also be achieved without having to move the cooling plate at all.
An embodiment of the invention may include the following.
The thermally-conductive heating element may consist of aluminum pieces with square-shaped, 1-inch by 1-inch, heads that are 60 mils thick.
The head is thermally and mechanically coupled to a shaft.
The shaft is hollowed with a cartridge resistive heater embedded within the opening.
The resistive heater may be coupled to the shaft with a thermally conducting adhesive bond.
The thermally-conductive heating elements are mounted on a support structure and placed in close proximity to each other (e.
g.
20 mils apart).
This proximity distance improves the thermal separation between the heating elements.
In this fashion, the thermally-conductive heating elements form a square array of providing highly localized and spatially variable quantities of heat