Brooks Instrument Blog

Intersolar North America is just around the corner, and Brooks will be setting up shop at Booth 5648 (July 10-12, San Francisco). We’re introducing two new products that will have a big impact on the solar and semiconductor industries.

First up is the XacTorr CMX0 capacitance manometer, which is part of the Brooks XacTorr CMX family of capacitance manometers. These instruments provide solar and semiconductor manufacturers with highly stable and repeatable measurements for pressure sensitive processes. The XacTorr CMX0 offers users:

• An unheated option with full-scale ranges from 1,000 Torr to 100 mTorr
• Accuracy of 0.25% of reading
• Drop-in replacement
• Unique diagnostic features for preventative maintenance such as tracking remaining zero adjustment range to allow scheduled maintenance, reducing unplanned interruptions.

We’ll also be unveiling communication upgrades to the GF40/80, our highly modular, user-programmable mass flow controller designed for solar and thin-film processes.
The GF40/80 is now equipped with EtherCAT, a highly flexible network protocol that has been adopted by leading-edge manufacturers in the solar and microelectronics industries. A unique principle called “processing on the fly” gives EtherCAT some unique advantages. Because EtherCAT messages are passed before being processed in each node, EtherCAT operates at a high speed and efficiency. The process also creates flexibility in topology and incredible synchronization making it easier to network flow control and other devices for advanced process control and diagnostic capabilities.

We hope you’ll stop by and say hello. And, as a thank you for previewing a demo of our new products, you’ll get a free 4GB USB drive in the shape of a mass flow controller, of course. You can also check out our latest news about Intersolar North America here.

As a vendor exhibiting at Intersolar you get to see the show from a little different perspective than the average show visitor.  Through your interaction with numerous customers visiting your booth you start to get a sense of the mood of the attendees and the opportunities that exist in the solar industries.

My first observation is that I was glad Brooks Instrument participated in the Intersolar portion of the combined Semicon/Intersolar show.  From a facilities perspective, the two venues for the shows almost reflected the state of the two industries.  Intersolar is located in Moscone West, a new exhibit hall which features large windows that let in the sun and generates a positive atmosphere on the show floor.  The solar industry is the future and these facilities reflect that optimism.

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I am proud to be leading the Brooks team at the upcoming Intersolar North America in sunny, beautiful San Francisco.  I recently attended Intersolar in Munich and was impressed with how that show has grown to almost fill the huge new Messe in Munich.  The halls were crammed with people even on a hot day for Germany, the Thursday session.  Intersolar North America appears to be on the same growth trajectory.

Our decision at Brooks to participate in Intersolar NA is a reflection on how great the show was last year and the maturation of the photovoltaic industry.  For many of the photovoltaic suppliers, their business models have gone from product development, market acceptance to that of an on-going business that needs to increase productivity using existing capital and continually reduce costs.  This is the perfect environment for Brooks material handling products which have been proven in industrial and process industries for decades. Brooks prides itself on developing products that are designed for long term, stable operation which is what is required now for low cost photovoltaic production.

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