Application Case Studies

Conax Semiconductor Engineering Extends Life of Thermocouples for Semiconductor Industries

Application:
Monitoring process temperature in vacuum up to 1300°C in a highly corrosive hydrogen/ammonia environment.

Customer Requirement:
This wafer manufacturer needed a very reliable, extended life thermocouple assembly that could provide uniform temperature measurement within a reactor. They were using an assembly with a molybdenum sheath, but approached Conax with a request to investigate other sheath materials that might improve the reliability and life of their sensors.

Conax Semiconductor Solution:
A Type R thermocouple with a molybdenum/47% rhenium sheath proved to be the solution for this corrosive environment. The design is a Type R, ungrounded, 0.187" diameter, 8"long molybdenum/47% rhenium sheath with a 6" long T3 leadwire termination and a male plug. This successful design exceeded the expectations of the customer in extending the life and reliability of the sensor.