Advanced energy launches centra smart hub
The Centra Smart Hub combines remote sensors and centralised control to improve wafer-temperature measurement and process repeatability in semiconductor manufacturing.
Advanced Energy Industries has launched its Centra Smart Hub, a temperature measurement and control solution designed for semiconductor manufacturing processes involving silicon and silicon carbide (SiC) wafers.
Introduced at SEMICON West 2026 in San Francisco, the system combines a centralised hub with Remote Smart Sensors (RSS) to provide non-contact temperature measurement at multiple points across a wafer.
It targets lamp-heated processes such as rapid thermal annealing (RTA) and epitaxial growth.
Advanced Energy says the solution delivers up to 40% better measurement accuracy than other standard solutions at wavelengths of 3.3 μm or 5.2 μm, with measurement temperatures reaching 1,700°C.
The system addresses challenges associated with infrared lamp heating, which can interfere with conventional pyrometers operating at shorter infrared wavelengths.
By measuring at alternative wavelengths, the Centra platform is designed to reduce the influence of lamp emissions on temperature readings.
Its hub-and-spoke architecture places the Centra Smart Hub in an instrument rack, while remote sensors are installed directly on the process chamber.
Embedded ECAT and Ethernet protocols support integration with semiconductor equipment control systems.
According to Advanced Energy, improved temperature measurement and control can help manufacturers achieve greater wafer-to-wafer repeatability and thermal uniformity, supporting process consistency and yield in demanding semiconductor applications.
