A system and method for determining the temperature of a semiconductor
wafer at the time of thermal contact of the semiconductor wafer with a
temperature sensing element. According to the invention, a temperature
profile of the temperature sensing element is recorded from the time of
thermal contact up to the time of thermal equilibrium between the
semiconductor wafer and the temperature sensing element and the
temperature of the semiconductor wafer at the time of thermal contact is
determined on the basis of a time period between the time of thermal
contact and the time of thermal equilibrium and the temperature T.sub.G
of the semiconductor wafer reached at the time t.sub.G of thermal
equilibrium is determined by back calculation with the aid of an equation
derived from Newton's law of cooling.