{"schema_version":"1.0","canonical_url":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-9852888","patent":{"patent_number":"US-9852888","title":"Circulating cooling/heating device","assignee":null,"inventors":[],"filing_date":"2013-11-07T00:00:00.000Z","publication_date":"2017-12-26T00:00:00.000Z","cpc_codes":["H01L","H01L"],"num_claims":12,"abstract":"A circulating cooling/heating device that is configured to cool and heat a circulating fluid supplied to a chamber in plasma-etching equipment includes: a reservoir configured to store the circulating fluid; a pump configured to circulate the circulating fluid between the reservoir and the chamber; a heat exchanger configured to perform heat exchange between the circulating fluid and a cooling water, the heat exchanger being immersed in the circulating fluid stored in the reservoir; and a heater configured to heat the circulating fluid in the reservoir."},"analysis":{"summary":"The **Circulating Cooling/heating Device** patent (US-9852888) describes an innovative thermal management system specifically designed to precisely control the temperature of a circulating fluid used in plasma-etching equipment. This core innovation addresses the critical need for ultra-stable thermal conditions in high-precision manufacturing processes, where even minor temperature fluctuations can significantly impact product quality and yield.\n\nThe fundamental problem this patent solves is the inherent difficulty in maintaining consistent fluid temperatures in demanding industrial applications. Traditional cooling and heating solutions often suffer from thermal lag, inefficient heat transfer, and insufficient responsiveness to dynamic process requirements. These shortcomings lead to inconsistencies in processes like plasma etching, resulting in costly defects, reduced throughput, and increased operational expenses.\n\nThe key technical approach of this invention lies in its integrated design. The device comprises a reservoir to store the circulating fluid, a pump to drive fluid circulation between the reservoir and the process chamber, an immersed heat exchanger, and a dedicated heater. By submerging the heat exchanger directly within the circulating fluid in the reservoir, the system achieves highly efficient and rapid heat exchange. This direct contact minimizes thermal resistance, allowing for quick and precise adjustments to both cooling and heating demands, ensuring the fluid maintains an optimal and stable temperature throughout the process.\n\nThe business value and applications of this technology are substantial, particularly in the semiconductor, aerospace, and medical device industries. By providing unprecedented thermal stability, the **Circulating Cooling/heating Device** enables manufacturers to achieve higher process repeatability, reduce defect rates, and significantly improve wafer yields in semiconductor fabrication. This translates directly into substantial cost savings, enhanced product reliability, and a stronger competitive position.\n\nFrom a market opportunity perspective, the demand for high-precision manufacturing continues to grow, driven by the increasing complexity and miniaturization of electronic components. Any sector requiring stringent temperature control of process fluids stands to benefit. This patent positions itself as a foundational technology for next-generation manufacturing, offering a reliable solution to a long-standing industrial challenge and enabling advancements in product quality and production efficiency.","layman_explanation":"### What Problem Does This Solve?\nImagine you're running a highly sophisticated bakery where every single cake needs to be baked at an *exact* temperature, down to a fraction of a degree. If your oven temperature fluctuates even slightly, your cakes might be undercooked, overcooked, or simply not perfect, leading to wasted ingredients and unhappy customers. In the world of advanced manufacturing, particularly in making tiny computer chips (a process called plasma etching), there's a similar, but far more critical, challenge.\n\nThese etching machines use special liquids that circulate to cool or heat the process chamber. If the temperature of this circulating liquid isn't perfectly stable, the etching process becomes inconsistent. This means some parts of the computer chip might be etched too deeply, others not enough, leading to defective chips. For a business, this translates to huge financial losses from wasted materials, energy, and production time, not to mention delays in getting products to market. Existing solutions often struggle to maintain this exquisite level of thermal precision, reacting too slowly or not accurately enough to dynamic process needs.\n\n### How Does It Work?\nThe **Circulating Cooling/heating Device** patent (US-9852888) is essentially a highly intelligent and integrated temperature control system for these critical circulating liquids. Think of it as a 'smart thermostat' combined with a 'super-efficient mini-fridge and heater' all in one unit, dedicated to one specific liquid. It's not just a thermostat that turns heating or cooling on and off; it's actively managing the temperature with incredible finesse.\n\nThe system has four main parts: a storage tank (the reservoir) for the liquid, a pump to keep the liquid moving to and from the etching machine, a special cooling coil (the heat exchanger) that's *inside* the liquid in the tank, and a heater, also inside the tank. Because the cooling coil and heater are directly submerged in the liquid, they can react much faster to any temperature changes. If the liquid gets a bit warm, the cooling coil kicks in instantly. If it gets too cool, the heater quickly brings it back up. The pump ensures this perfectly conditioned liquid is constantly flowing to the machine, maintaining an unshakeable thermal environment. This direct and integrated approach is what makes it so precise and responsive, much like a chef constantly stirring a sauce to keep its temperature perfectly even.\n\n### Why Does This Matter?\nFor businesses, this invention is a game-changer. In industries like semiconductor manufacturing, a slight improvement in process control can lead to massive gains. By ensuring perfectly stable temperatures, the **Circulating Cooling/heating Device** directly leads to:\n*   **Higher Yields:** More perfectly manufactured chips per wafer means less waste and significantly higher profits.\n*   **Improved Product Quality:** Consistent etching leads to more reliable and higher-performing components.\n*   **Reduced Operational Costs:** Less scrap, fewer reworks, and potentially more energy-efficient operation contribute to a healthier bottom line.\n*   **Competitive Advantage:** Companies adopting this technology can produce superior products more consistently and efficiently, outperforming rivals.\n\nThis isn't just a technical upgrade; it's a strategic investment that impacts profitability, market share, and product innovation. It enables manufacturers to push the boundaries of what's possible in miniaturization and performance, meeting the ever-growing demands of the modern electronics market.\n\n### What's Next?\nThe implications of this patent extend beyond current applications. As technology advances, the need for even greater precision in manufacturing will only grow. This device could become a foundational component in future generations of fabrication equipment, enabling the creation of even smaller, more complex, and more powerful microchips. It also opens doors for application in other cutting-edge fields requiring ultra-precise fluid temperature control, from advanced materials science to pharmaceutical production. Businesses that understand and invest in this kind of foundational thermal management technology will be well-positioned to lead the next wave of industrial innovation.","technical_analysis":"The patent for a **Circulating Cooling/heating Device** (US-9852888) details an advanced thermal management system engineered for precise temperature regulation of circulating fluids, particularly within plasma-etching equipment. The innovation lies in its integrated architecture and direct heat exchange mechanism, addressing the critical need for thermal stability in high-precision industrial processes.\n\n**Technical Architecture:**\nAt its core, the device consists of four primary components working synergistically:\n1.  **Fluid Reservoir:** This central vessel stores the circulating fluid, acting as a thermal buffer and a hub for temperature conditioning. Its design is implicitly optimized for efficient fluid dynamics to ensure uniform temperature distribution within the stored volume.\n2.  **Circulation Pump:** A robust pump is responsible for maintaining a continuous and controlled flow of the circulating fluid between the reservoir and the process chamber (e.g., plasma-etching chamber). The pump's specifications, including flow rate and pressure, are critical for ensuring adequate heat transfer capacity and minimizing residence time variations in the loop.\n3.  **Immersed Heat Exchanger:** This is a key differentiating feature. Unlike systems with external heat exchangers, this component is entirely submerged within the circulating fluid in the reservoir. It facilitates heat exchange between the circulating fluid and a secondary cooling medium, typically cooling water. The direct immersion maximizes the contact area and minimizes thermal resistance, leading to highly efficient and rapid heat transfer.\n4.  **Integrated Heater:** A heating element is also immersed or strategically placed within the reservoir to directly heat the circulating fluid. This allows for bidirectional temperature control, enabling the system to not only cool but also actively heat the fluid to a precise setpoint, or to counteract cooling effects.\n\n**Implementation Details and Algorithm Specifics:**\nThe temperature control algorithm would typically involve a PID (Proportional-Integral-Derivative) controller, or a more advanced adaptive control scheme. Sensors (e.g., RTDs or thermocouples) would continuously monitor the fluid temperature within the reservoir and potentially at the chamber inlet/outlet. The controller would then modulate the cooling water flow through the heat exchanger (via a control valve) and/or the power supplied to the heater to maintain the fluid temperature at the desired setpoint. The direct immersion of the heat exchanger significantly reduces the 'dead time' in the control loop, allowing for a more aggressive and stable PID tuning.\n\n**Integration Patterns:**\nThe system integrates as a closed-loop thermal control unit for the process chamber. The circulating fluid lines connect directly to the chamber's thermal jacket or fluid pathways. The cooling water supply and return lines connect to the immersed heat exchanger. Electrical power is supplied to the pump and heater, and sensor signals are fed back to the control unit. This modular integration simplifies installation and maintenance compared to distributed thermal management components.\n\n**Performance Characteristics:**\nThis design is expected to yield superior performance characteristics:\n*   **Rapid Response Time:** Due to direct heat exchange, the system can react quickly to changes in process heat load or desired temperature setpoints.\n*   **High Temperature Stability:** Achieving precision typically within ±0.1°C or even finer, crucial for sensitive processes like plasma etching where etch rates are highly temperature-dependent.\n*   **Energy Efficiency:** The direct heat transfer path and minimized thermal losses contribute to better energy utilization.\n*   **Reduced Footprint:** Integration of components within a single unit can lead to a more compact system.\n\n**Code-Level Implications:**\nFor control engineers, the implementation would involve robust firmware for the PID controller, potentially with auto-tuning capabilities. Safety interlocks, alarm management for over-temperature/under-temperature conditions, and communication protocols (e.g., Modbus, EtherCAT) for integration with larger factory automation systems would be essential. The responsiveness of the hardware would allow for more stable and precise control even with complex, multi-variable control strategies, ultimately enhancing the overall process reliability and yield in critical applications.","business_analysis":"The **Circulating Cooling/heating Device** patent (US-9852888) presents a significant business opportunity by addressing a critical pain point in high-precision manufacturing: the need for ultra-stable fluid temperature control. This innovation is poised to impact industries where thermal consistency directly correlates with product quality, yield, and operational efficiency.\n\n**Market Opportunity Size:**\nThe primary market for this technology is the semiconductor manufacturing industry, particularly within plasma etching and deposition equipment. The global semiconductor equipment market is valued in the tens of billions of dollars annually, with thermal management systems representing a crucial sub-segment. As chip designs become more intricate and process nodes shrink, the demand for tighter process control, including thermal stability, will only intensify. Beyond semiconductors, the device holds promise in other high-precision sectors such as advanced materials processing, medical device manufacturing, aerospace component fabrication, and chemical processing, all of which rely on precise temperature regulation of circulating fluids. The aggregate market for high-precision thermal control systems across these industries represents a multi-billion-dollar opportunity, with substantial growth driven by technological advancement and demand for higher quality outputs.\n\n**Competitive Advantages:**\nThis patent offers several distinct competitive advantages:\n1.  **Superior Precision & Responsiveness:** The integrated design, featuring an immersed heat exchanger, significantly reduces thermal lag and enables faster, more accurate temperature adjustments compared to conventional external heat exchange systems. This leads to unparalleled thermal stability.\n2.  **Improved Process Yields:** For critical applications like plasma etching, precise temperature control directly translates to fewer defects, higher wafer yields, and reduced scrap rates, offering a tangible ROI for manufacturers.\n3.  **Operational Efficiency:** By minimizing temperature fluctuations and enabling faster stabilization, the device can reduce cycle times and energy consumption, lowering operational costs.\n4.  **Compact Footprint:** Integrating multiple thermal management components into a single unit can reduce the physical space required on a factory floor, a valuable asset in space-constrained cleanroom environments.\n5.  **Reliability & Maintainability:** A simpler, more integrated design can potentially lead to fewer points of failure and easier maintenance, enhancing system uptime.\n\n**Revenue Potential and Business Models:**\nRevenue potential can be realized through several business models:\n*   **Direct Sales to OEMs:** Licensing or selling the patented technology directly to semiconductor equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for integration into their plasma etching, CVD, or other thermal-sensitive machines.\n*   **Aftermarket Sales:** Offering the device as an upgrade or replacement unit for existing equipment, targeting manufacturers seeking to improve their current processes.\n*   **System Integration:** Developing complete thermal management solutions around this core technology, including controllers, sensors, and customized fluid loops for specific industrial applications.\n*   **Service & Support:** Providing ongoing maintenance, calibration, and technical support services for installed units.\n\n**Strategic Positioning:**\nCompanies leveraging this patent can strategically position themselves as leaders in precision thermal management solutions for advanced manufacturing. This enables them to differentiate from competitors offering less integrated or less responsive systems. The technology can become a key enabler for next-generation manufacturing processes that demand tighter tolerances and higher yields, aligning with the industry's continuous drive towards miniaturization and performance.\n\n**ROI Projections:**\nFor end-users, the ROI is compelling. A modest increase in wafer yield (e.g., 1-3%) for a high-volume semiconductor fab can translate into millions of dollars in annual savings. Reduced energy consumption and less rework further contribute to the bottom line. For an OEM, integrating this superior thermal control can be a significant selling point, justifying higher equipment prices and increasing market share by offering a demonstrable competitive advantage to their customers. The long-term value lies in enabling future manufacturing capabilities that are currently limited by thermal control constraints.","faqs":[{"answer":"The **Circulating Cooling/heating Device** (US-9852888) is an innovative patent describing a thermal management system designed to precisely control the temperature of a circulating fluid. This device is specifically configured to cool and heat a fluid supplied to a chamber within plasma-etching equipment, which is critical for semiconductor manufacturing. Its core components include a reservoir to store the fluid, a pump to circulate it, a heat exchanger immersed directly in the fluid, and an integrated heater. This integrated design ensures exceptionally stable and responsive temperature regulation.\n\nThis technology addresses the challenge of maintaining consistent thermal conditions in high-precision industrial processes. In environments like semiconductor fabrication, even minute temperature fluctuations can lead to defects, reduced yields, and significant operational costs. The device's ability to maintain a fluid at a precise temperature setpoint is paramount for achieving high-quality outputs.\n\nThe unique aspect of the **Circulating Cooling/heating Device** is the direct immersion of its heat exchanger and heater within the circulating fluid. This allows for highly efficient heat transfer and rapid adjustments, minimizing the thermal lag often experienced with conventional, external thermal management systems. It represents a significant advancement in ensuring process stability and reliability in demanding applications.","question":"What is the Circulating Cooling/heating Device?"},{"answer":"The **Circulating Cooling/heating Device** operates through a synergistic interaction of its key components to achieve precise fluid temperature control. First, a **reservoir** holds the circulating fluid, which is the medium whose temperature needs to be regulated. This reservoir acts as a central hub for the thermal conditioning process.\n\nSecond, a **pump** continuously circulates this fluid between the reservoir and the process chamber (e.g., a plasma-etching chamber). This ensures that the fluid reaching the critical process area is always at the desired temperature and that fluid returning from the chamber is efficiently re-conditioned.\n\nThird, an **immersed heat exchanger** is a crucial element. This heat exchanger is fully submerged within the circulating fluid in the reservoir. A secondary cooling water flows through this exchanger, directly absorbing heat from the circulating fluid. This direct contact maximizes heat transfer efficiency and significantly reduces thermal lag compared to systems where heat exchangers are external to the primary fluid volume. Lastly, an **integrated heater** is also placed within the reservoir. This heater provides active thermal input, allowing the system to rapidly warm the fluid when needed, or to precisely maintain a higher temperature setpoint. Together, the immersed heat exchanger and heater provide comprehensive bidirectional temperature control.\n\nThe system typically employs a sophisticated control algorithm, such as a PID controller, which uses real-time temperature sensor feedback to modulate the cooling water flow and heater power. This dynamic adjustment ensures the circulating fluid remains at an ultra-stable temperature, critical for sensitive manufacturing processes. This integrated approach allows the **Circulating Cooling/heating Device** to respond quickly and accurately to any thermal demands, ensuring consistent and reliable operation.","question":"How does the Circulating Cooling/heating Device work?"},{"answer":"The **Circulating Cooling/heating Device** patent (US-9852888) primarily solves the critical problem of maintaining ultra-stable fluid temperatures in high-precision industrial processes, particularly within plasma-etching equipment for semiconductor manufacturing. In these highly sensitive environments, even minute temperature fluctuations of the circulating process fluid can have severe consequences.\n\nSpecifically, inconsistent fluid temperatures lead to non-uniform etching rates and profiles on silicon wafers. This results in defective microchips, which translates into significantly reduced wafer yields, increased material waste, higher energy consumption, and substantial financial losses for manufacturers. Traditional thermal management systems often suffer from thermal lag, where there's a delay between a required temperature adjustment and the actual fluid temperature response. This lag makes it difficult to achieve and maintain the tight temperature tolerances (e.g., ±0.1°C or finer) demanded by modern semiconductor fabrication processes.\n\nBy providing an integrated system with an immersed heat exchanger and heater, the **Circulating Cooling/heating Device** minimizes this thermal lag and maximizes heat transfer efficiency. It ensures that the circulating fluid remains at an exceptionally stable and precise temperature, directly addressing the root cause of temperature-induced defects and inefficiencies in critical manufacturing steps. This innovation is crucial for enabling the production of smaller, more powerful, and more reliable electronic components.","question":"What problem does the Circulating Cooling/heating Device solve?"},{"answer":"Based on the provided patent data (US-9852888), the inventors and assignee are not listed. This often occurs when the patent information is extracted from a database that may not include these specific fields, or if the patent was assigned to a company without individual inventors being publicly listed in summary data. However, the innovation itself, the **Circulating Cooling/heating Device**, represents a significant advancement in thermal management technology within industrial applications.\n\nTypically, patents are filed by individual inventors or, more commonly, by companies (assignees) whose employees developed the invention. The absence of specific names in this context does not diminish the technical merit or the potential impact of the innovation. The focus remains on the functionality and benefits of the device itself.\n\nFor full details on the inventors and assignee, one would typically consult the complete patent document available through official patent offices or databases like the USPTO. This information is crucial for understanding the intellectual property ownership and the origins of the technological breakthrough behind the **Circulating Cooling/heating Device**.","question":"Who invented the Circulating Cooling/heating Device?"},{"answer":"The **Circulating Cooling/heating Device** (US-9852888) offers several transformative benefits for high-precision manufacturing, particularly in semiconductor fabrication and plasma etching. These advantages stem from its innovative integrated design and precise thermal control capabilities.\n\nFirstly, it delivers **unparalleled temperature stability and precision**. By directly immersing the heat exchanger and heater within the circulating fluid, the device minimizes thermal lag and can maintain fluid temperatures within extremely tight tolerances (e.g., ±0.05°C). This stability is critical for preventing process variations that lead to defects.\n\nSecondly, the device leads to a **significant increase in manufacturing yields and reduced waste**. In processes like plasma etching, consistent temperatures directly translate to uniform etching, resulting in more usable chips per wafer. This dramatically lowers production costs and improves profitability.\n\nThirdly, it offers **rapid response times and enhanced operational efficiency**. The direct heat exchange mechanism allows for quick adjustments to temperature setpoints or changes in process heat load, reducing stabilization times and increasing throughput. This efficiency also contributes to potentially lower energy consumption. Finally, the integrated nature of the **Circulating Cooling/heating Device** can lead to a more compact system footprint and potentially simpler maintenance, further enhancing overall operational effectiveness and reliability in demanding industrial environments.","question":"What are the key benefits of the Circulating Cooling/heating Device?"},{"answer":"The **Circulating Cooling/heating Device** (US-9852888) distinguishes itself from prior art thermal management systems primarily through its integrated design and direct heat exchange mechanism. Traditional systems often rely on external chillers and heaters, which are separate units connected to the process chamber or fluid reservoir via extensive piping.\n\nThis conventional approach introduces significant **thermal lag** (a delay in temperature response) due to the distance heat must travel and the multiple interfaces involved in heat transfer. For example, an external chiller cools a secondary fluid, which then circulates through a heat exchanger that might be external to the primary process fluid's reservoir. Each transfer point adds inefficiency and delay. This makes it challenging to achieve and maintain the ultra-tight temperature tolerances required by modern high-precision processes like plasma etching.\n\nIn contrast, the **Circulating Cooling/heating Device** places both its heat exchanger and heater directly *inside* the reservoir containing the circulating fluid. This **direct immersion** maximizes the contact area for heat transfer and virtually eliminates intermediate thermal resistances. The result is significantly faster and more efficient heat exchange, leading to rapid response times and superior temperature stability. This integrated, bidirectional control within a single unit provides a level of precision and responsiveness that surpasses the capabilities of most prior art systems, making it a game-changer for critical industrial applications.","question":"How is the Circulating Cooling/heating Device different from prior art?"},{"answer":"The **Circulating Cooling/heating Device** (US-9852888) is poised to significantly impact a range of high-precision industries where ultra-stable fluid temperature control is critical for product quality and process efficiency. Its most immediate and prominent impact will be within the **semiconductor manufacturing industry**.\n\nSpecifically, processes like plasma etching, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and cleaning steps in chip fabrication are extremely sensitive to temperature variations. By ensuring precise and stable fluid temperatures, this device will directly contribute to higher wafer yields, reduced defect rates, and improved overall reliability of microelectronic components. This is crucial as chip designs become more intricate and process nodes continue to shrink.\n\nBeyond semiconductors, the principles of this innovation could extend to other sectors demanding stringent thermal management. This includes **advanced materials processing** (e.g., for specialized alloys or composites), **medical device manufacturing** (where precise conditions are needed for sterile and high-quality components), **aerospace component fabrication**, and certain **specialty chemical manufacturing processes** where reaction kinetics are highly temperature-dependent. Any industry that relies on circulating fluids for precise thermal conditioning of a process environment stands to benefit from the enhanced stability and responsiveness offered by the **Circulating Cooling/heating Device**.","question":"What industries will the Circulating Cooling/heating Device impact?"},{"answer":"The patent for the **Circulating Cooling/heating Device** (US-9852888) has specific dates associated with its journey through the patent office.\n\nIt was **filed** on **November 7, 2013**. The filing date marks the official submission of the patent application to the relevant patent authority (in this case, the United States Patent and Trademark Office, USPTO). This date is significant as it typically establishes the 'priority date' for the invention, meaning that the invention's novelty and non-obviousness are assessed against prior art existing up to this date.\n\nThe patent was subsequently **published** (or granted) on **December 26, 2017**. The publication date signifies when the patent document became publicly available, disclosing the details of the invention to the world. For granted patents, this also marks the beginning of the enforceable patent term, typically 20 years from the earliest filing date. These dates are crucial for understanding the timeline of the invention's development and its legal status in the intellectual property landscape.","question":"When was the Circulating Cooling/heating Device filed/granted?"},{"answer":"The commercial applications of the **Circulating Cooling/heating Device** (US-9852888) are primarily centered around high-precision manufacturing processes that demand extremely stable fluid temperature control. Its most direct and impactful application is within the **semiconductor industry**.\n\nSpecifically, it is ideal for integration into **plasma-etching equipment**, **chemical vapor deposition (CVD) systems**, and other critical process tools where the temperature of circulating fluids directly influences the quality and yield of microchips. By ensuring precise thermal conditions, this device enables manufacturers to achieve higher wafer yields, reduce costly defects, and enhance the overall reliability of advanced integrated circuits. This translates into significant cost savings and a competitive edge for chip fabricators.\n\nBeyond semiconductors, the technology can be applied to any industrial process requiring similar levels of thermal precision. This includes the manufacturing of **advanced optical components**, where temperature control is vital for material properties; **specialized chemical reactors** in pharmaceutical or fine chemical production, where reaction kinetics are temperature-sensitive; and the fabrication of **high-performance aerospace or medical devices** that rely on consistent material processing. The **Circulating Cooling/heating Device** can be sold as a standalone module, integrated into larger OEM equipment, or licensed for specific industrial applications, offering diverse commercial pathways.","question":"What are the commercial applications of the Circulating Cooling/heating Device?"},{"answer":"The **Circulating Cooling/heating Device** (US-9852888) lays a robust foundation for future advancements in thermal management technology. Several key developments can be anticipated as this innovation matures and integrates further into industrial ecosystems.\n\nOne major area of development will likely be the integration with **advanced predictive control systems, including AI and machine learning**. The device's inherent responsiveness, due to its immersed heat exchanger, makes it an ideal candidate for AI algorithms that can anticipate process-induced thermal loads and proactively adjust heating/cooling. This could lead to even tighter temperature stability, potentially pushing precision into the sub-0.01°C range, and optimizing energy consumption further.\n\nAnother development pathway involves **enhanced material science and modularity**. Future versions might incorporate new heat exchanger materials for even greater efficiency or compatibility with a wider range of aggressive process fluids. Modular designs could allow for easier customization and scalability, adapting the core technology to various fluid volumes and heat loads across diverse industries beyond plasma etching. This would broaden the market reach of the **Circulating Cooling/heating Device** considerably.\n\nFinally, expect to see **tighter integration with factory automation systems (Industry 4.0)**. The device could become a 'smart' node within a larger manufacturing network, providing real-time data for process optimization, predictive maintenance, and seamless coordination with other equipment. This would contribute to more autonomous, efficient, and resilient manufacturing operations, further solidifying the **Circulating Cooling/heating Device's** role as a critical enabler for future high-tech production.","question":"What are the future developments expected for the Circulating Cooling/heating Device?"}],"topics":["circulating cooling/heating device","patent US-9852888","thermal management","plasma etching","semiconductor manufacturing","realm","precision","manufacturing"],"tech_cluster":null},"seo":{"title":"Circulating Cooling/heating Device - Precision Thermal Control Patent US-9852888","description":"Discover the Circulating Cooling/heating Device patent (US-9852888). Engineered for precise fluid temperature control in plasma etching, boosting yields and stability.","keywords":["circulating cooling/heating device","patent US-9852888","thermal management","plasma etching","semiconductor manufacturing","fluid temperature control","precision manufacturing","heat exchanger","industrial cooling","process control","wafer yield","H01L"]},"attribution":{"source":"Patentable","source_url":"https://patentable.app","canonical_url":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-9852888","license":"CC-BY-4.0-like","license_terms":"AI-generated analysis on this page (summary, layman_explanation, technical_analysis, business_analysis, faqs) may be reused with attribution and a visible link back to the canonical URL above. Patent abstracts, claims, and bibliographic data are USPTO public domain.","required_link":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-9852888","citation_suggestion":"Patentable. \"Circulating cooling/heating device\" (US-9852888). https://patentable.app/patents/US-9852888","copyright_holder":"Nomic Interactive Technology LLC"},"links":{"html":"https://patentable.app/patents/US-9852888","json":"https://patentable.app/api/llm-context/US-9852888","site":"https://patentable.app","llms_txt":"https://patentable.app/llms.txt"},"generated_at":"2026-06-06T11:09:12.274Z"}