The 38th annual North American MBE conference is being held this year at Tufts University on July 22 - 24th, 2024. NAMBE is the premier conference for the investigation of semiconductor crystal growth by molecular beam epitaxy. EpiTech will be there with our latest products, so be sure to stop by!
The SmartCBr4 Controller is here!
For those of you with aging CBr4 manifolds, EpiTech now offers a plug and play replacement for your legacy electronics! Check out the link and contact EpiTech with any questions!
The amazing new SmartSystem Controller from EpiTech
The EpiTech SmartSystem Controller is the most advanced, feature-rich system controller available
With the SmartSystem controller, you can run your MBE using a laptop. The only hardware you need is an Ethernet port since the SmartSystem Controller communicates with modern control software using MODBUS TCP. The SmartSystem Controller is completely configurable using an intuitive touchscreen interface, allowing the user to add and remove equipment, and easily create rules and interlocks for the equipment.
Usability is always a concern when designing EpiTech products, so we designed the SmartSystem controller to allow the naming of all inputs and outputs. In addition, all outputs can be placed in a local state, preventing unwanted changes triggered by control software or recipes. The user has complete control over the operation of their equipment and by allowing the naming of all IO, the user can more quickly and more easily understand the state of their machine.
Create your own interlocks to change the value of any output based on the value of any input or combination of inputs. Tailor the interlock behavior with adjustable delay and latching options
Create your own rules for limiting the changing of any output depending on the value of any input or combination of inputs
Create your own recipes, with up to 32 steps, where each step can change the state of any output and can end in a fixed amount of time, or can depend on the value of any input, or user intervention. Steps can be looped to easily create repeating sequences.
Quickly and easily install and protect new equipment.
Automate pump down and venting routines.
Automate cryopump regeneration
New Release: Smart Heated Viewport Power Supply
We are excited to announce the release of the Smart Heated Viewport Power Supply. This new product contains a Mil-Spec’d programmable DC power supply for reliable, clean power delivery. It also communicates with all the major control software for automating viewport heating, has interlocks with safe ramping features, and it provides real-time voltage, current, and filament resistance, which can be logged for failure prediction and analysis. This really is the last heated viewport power supply you will ever buy.
We will see you at the 36th Annual North American MBE Conference!
We are very excited to be attending the first in-person NAMBE following the COVID-19 pandemic. The MBE community is small but full of great people doing really important work. Let’s take this opportunity to reconnect with our old friends and colleagues and meet the newcomers too! Be sure to stop and chat when you get a chance.
image from https://www.cityofrehoboth.com/beach-and-boardwalk
ICMBE 2020
The International Conference on Molecular Beam Epitaxy (ICMBE) is going to be held in Puerta Vallarta, Mexico this year on Aug 30th - Sept 4th, 2020.
Puerta Vallarta, Mexico
The ICMBE is a bi-annual gathering of the best minds in MBE growth for a week of presentations and discussion. EpiTech will be there with our SmartPower and SmartValve products, so come on by and see how EpiTech can deliver intelligently designed, reliable electronics for your organization.
62nd Electronic Materials Conference
The Electronic Materials Conference (EMC) is being held this year at The Ohio State University on June 24 - 26th, 2020. EMC is the premier conference for the investigation of electronic materials. EpiTech will be there with our latest SmartPower and SmartValve products for you to play with, so be sure to stop by!
Announcing the new and improved SmartPower™ line!
We’ve made some awesome upgrades to the SmartPower power supply product line (which includes single and dual supply configurations) that we can’t help but scream from the tree tops. So what’s all the fuss about? Here’s what we’ve done:
A capacitive touch screen on the front panel makes configuring comms a breeze.
Also on the touch screen is status info about the supply, so that you know if a fan goes or if the internal temperature is getting too high, among about a dozen possible error messages
A new fan with a MTBF of 20 years.
Power supplies with 1500 W or higher output power have two 20 year fans
All power ranges have more than 3 times the air flow required
Addition of Ethernet comms for monitoring power, current and voltage
Power display has been added for those who hate multiplying current and voltage
New 18-bit differential A/D and a optimized power flow layout dramatically reduces noise
We’re at NAMBE 2018 in Banff, Canada! Come visit us
It’s a bit chilly here in Banff, but it sure is beautiful! While you’re enjoying all the conference has to offer, be sure to stop by our vendor booth. Talk with us about MBE, semiconductor crystal growth, your needs, our products, or anything science related (Ryan loves to chat!). Plus, we have a SmartValve Valve Controller with us for you to tinker with. We look forward to seeing you!
New Release: SmartSubstrate™ Controller
We're really excited to announce another new product release at EpiTech as we deliver our first substrate manipulator controller, the SmartSubstrate™ Controller.
We dipped into our reservoir of MBE growth experience and talked to other veteran growers to identify what makes a great substrate manipulator controller.
We ultimately decided on the following characteristics:
- Boots in seconds
- Fast, easy, and intuitive calibration of position and rotation angle
- Zero position can be reset without having to recalibrate safe range of motion
- Backlash compensation
- Adjustable gear ratio
- Substrate position and rotation accuracy is +- 0.1 degrees
- Coninuous substrate rotation rate accuracy is +- 0.01 RPM to 60 RPM
- Compact and powerful brushless AC servo motor (200 W or 400 W)
- Communicates over serial port using EI-BYSYNCH and Modbus RTU protocols
- Communicates over Ethernet port using Modbus TCP protocol
- Compatible with Molly and AMBER control software
- Touchscreen interface makes the substrate controller intuitive to use and configure
- Enable button on the front panel makes disabling the motor quick and easy
- Compact design fits in a 2U high, half rack width per axis
- Universal voltage (100 – 240VAC, 1 phase)