Methods and apparatus for generating strongly-ionized...

Electric lamp and discharge devices: systems – Discharge device load with fluent material supply to the... – Plasma generating

Reexamination Certificate

Rate now

  [ 0.00 ] – not rated yet Voters 0   Comments 0

Details

C315S111710, C118S7230AN, C204S192120

Reexamination Certificate

active

07095179

ABSTRACT:
Methods and apparatus for generating strongly-ionized plasmas are disclosed. A strongly-ionized plasma generator according to one embodiment includes a chamber for confining a feed gas. An anode and a cathode assembly are positioned inside the chamber. A pulsed power supply is electrically connected between the anode and the cathode assembly. The pulsed power supply generates a multi-stage voltage pulse that includes a low-power stage with a first peak voltage having a magnitude and a rise time that is sufficient to generate a weakly-ionized plasma from the feed gas. The multi-stage voltage pulse also includes a transient stage with a second peak voltage having a magnitude and a rise time that is sufficient to shift an electron energy distribution in the weakly-ionized plasma to higher energies that increase an ionization rate which results in a rapid increase in electron density and a formation of a strongly-ionized plasma.

REFERENCES:
patent: 3104345 (1963-09-01), Wilcox et al.
patent: 4931169 (1990-06-01), Scherer et al.
patent: 5002631 (1991-03-01), Giapis et al.
patent: 5015493 (1991-05-01), Gruen
patent: 5565247 (1996-10-01), Suzuki
patent: 5616224 (1997-04-01), Boling
patent: 5844195 (1998-12-01), Fairbairn et al.
patent: 6124675 (2000-09-01), Bertrand et al.
patent: 6197165 (2001-03-01), Drewery et al.
patent: 6222321 (2001-04-01), Scholl et al.
patent: 6254745 (2001-07-01), Vukovic
patent: 6296742 (2001-10-01), Kouznetsov
patent: 6327163 (2001-12-01), Petr
patent: 6342132 (2002-01-01), Rossnagel
patent: 6355992 (2002-03-01), Via
patent: 6359424 (2002-03-01), Iida et al.
patent: 6413382 (2002-07-01), Wang et al.
patent: 6416634 (2002-07-01), Mostovoy et al.
patent: 6633017 (2003-10-01), Drummond et al.
patent: 6808607 (2004-10-01), Christie
patent: 2004/0020760 (2004-02-01), Kouznetsov
patent: 2004/0082187 (2004-04-01), Chistyakov
patent: 2004/0086434 (2004-05-01), Gadgil et al.
patent: 2004/0094411 (2004-05-01), Chistyakov
patent: 2004/0222745 (2004-11-01), Chistyakov
patent: 2005/0092596 (2005-05-01), Kouznetsov
patent: 2005/0109607 (2005-05-01), Ehiasarian et al.
patent: 2005/0173239 (2005-08-01), Somekh et al.
patent: 3700633 (1988-05-01), None
patent: 1 260 603 (2002-11-01), None
patent: WO 98/40532 (1998-09-01), None
patent: WO 02/103078 (2002-12-01), None
Lin et al, Bifurcation and Chaos in Weakly Ionized Megeneto-PLasmas, May 18, 1991, Chinese Journal of Physics, vol. 29, No. 4, pp. 347-348 and 351.
Vladimirov, V., Voltage-Current Characteristics Of A Gas Magnetron In the Case Of Intense Cathode Sputtering, Sov. J. Plasma Phys., Jan.-Feb. 1981, pp. 114-118, vol. 7, No. 1.
Lutsenko, E.I., Instability Mechanisms In A High-Current Straight Discharge At A Low Gas Pressure, Sov. J. Plasma Phys., Jan.-Feb. 1984, pp. 87-95, vol. 10, No. 1.
Chistyakov, Roman, Plasma Source With Segmented Magnetron Cathode, U.S. Appl. No. 10/710,946, filed Aug. 13, 2004.
Kouznetsov, et al., A Novel Pulsed Magnetron Sputter Technique Utilizing Very High Target Power Densities, Surface and Coatings Technology, 1999, pp. 290-293, vol. 122, Elsevier.
Steinbruchel, A Simple Formula For Low-Energy Sputtering Yields, Applied Physics A., 1985, pp. 37-42, vol. 36, Springer, Verlag.
Daugherty, et al., Attachment-Dominated Electron-Beam-Ionized Discharges, Applied Physics Letters, May 15, 1976, pp. 581-583, vol. 28, No. 10, American Institute of Physics.
Fajans, et al., Bifurcations In Elliptical, Asymmetric Non-Neutral Plasmas, Physics of Plasmas, Oct. 2000, pp. 3929-3933, vol. 7, No. 10, American Institute of Physics.
Dekoven, et al., Carbon Thin Film Deposition Using High Power Pulsed Magnetron Sputtering, 46th Annual Technical Conference Proceedings, 2003, pp. 158-165, Society of Vacuum Coaters.
Choueiri, Characterization Of Oscillations In Closed Drift Thrusters, pp. 1-19.
Stark, et al., Electron Heating In Atmospheric Pressure Glow Discharges, Journal of Applied Physics, Apr. 2001, p. 3568, vol. 89, No. 7, American Institute of Physics.
Gudmundsson, et al., Evolution Of The Electron Energy Distribution And Plasma Parameters In A Pulsed Magnetron Discharge, Applied Physics Letters, May 28, 2001, pp. 3427-3429, American Institute of Physics.
Tian, et al., Experimental Investigation Of The Electrical Characteristics And Initiation Dynamics Of Pulsed High-Voltage Glow Discharge, Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, vol. 34, pp. 354-359, IOP Publishing Ltd. UK.
Mozgrin, et al., High-Current Low-Pressure Quasi-Stationary Discharge In A Magnetic Field: Experimental Research, Plasma Physics Reports, 1995, vol. 21, No. 5, pp. 400-409, Interperiodica Publishing.
Garrigues, et al., Hybrid And Particle-In-Cell Models Of A Stationary Plasma Thruster, Plasma Sources Sci. Technol., 2000, pp. 219-226, vol. 9, IOP Publishing Ltd., UK.
Kudryavtsev, et al., Ionization Relaxation In A Plasma Produced By A Pulsed Inert-Gas Discharge, Sov. Phys. Tech. Phys., Jan. 1983, pp. 30-35, vol. 28, No. 1, American Institute of Physics.
Biberman, et al., Low-Temperature Plasmas With Nonequilibrium Ionization, Sov. Phys. Usp., Jun. 1979, pp. 411-432, vol. 22, No. 6.
Thornton, Magnetron Sputtering: Basic Physics And Application To Cylindrical Magnetrons, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. Mar./Apr. 1978, pp. 171-177, vol. 15, No. 2.
Hart, et al., Measuring The Growth Of Solitons From Normal Modes, [online]. Nonneutral Plasmas, South Hall Convention Center, Nov. 19, Year unknown.
Helmersson, Metallization By Pulsed High-Power Sputtering, [online]. [retrieved on Nov. 21, 2003]. Retrieved from WWW.inf.liu.se/thinprogram/projects/p2.html.
Pisarev, Modification Of The Surface Of Perforated Polymer MF-4SK In Low-Pressure, High Current Quasi-Stable Discharge Plasma In Magnetic Field, [online]. [retrieved on Dec. 30, 2003]. Retrieved from WWW.tech-db.ru/istc/db/pra.nsf/we/0624.
Gudmundsson, et al., Observation Of Ion-Acoustic Solitons In A Pulsed Magnetron Sputtering Discharge, 56th-Gaseous Electronics Conference-2003, Oct. 24, 2003, pp. 1-14.
Matossian, et al., Operating Characteristics Of A 100kV, 100kW Plasma Ion Implantation Facility, Surface Coatings & Technology, 1996, pp. 92-97, vol. 85.
Fajans, et al., Second Harmonic Autoresonant Control Of The 1=1 Diocotron Mode In Pure-Electron Plasmas, Physical Review E, Sep. 2000, pp. 4131-4136, vol. 62, No. 3.
J.T. Gudmundsson, et al., Spatial And Temporal Behavior Of The Plasma Parameters In A Pulsed Magnetron Discharge, Surface & Coatings Technology, 2002, pp. 249-256, vol. 161, Elsevier Science.
Biberman, et al., Chapter Eight: Transient Nonequilibrium Plasmas, Kinetics Of Nonequilibrium Low Temperature Plasmas, 1987, pp. 321, 360-372, Plenum Publishing Corporation, New York, USA.
Gudmundsson, et al., Observation Of Solitons In A Pulsed Magnetron Sputtering Discharge [online]. [retrieved on Dec. 8, 2003]. Retrieved from WWW.eps.org/aps/meet/GEC03/baps/abs/s300.html.
The State Of The Art In Pulsed High Power [online]. [retrieved on Jul. 15, 2002]. Retrieved from WWW.physiqueindustrie.com/—pulse—power.html.
Encyclopedia Of Low Temperature Plasma, Editor V.E. Fortov, 2000, vol. 3, p. 123.
Encyclopedia Of Low Temperature Plasma, Editor V.E. Fortov, 2000, vol. 3, p. 119.
Chistyakov, Roman, High Power Pulsed Magnetron Sputtering, U.S. Appl. No. 10/065,277, filed Sep. 30, 2002.
Chistyakov, Roman, Method And Apparatus For Generating High-Density Plasma, U.S. Appl. No. 10/065,629, filed Nov. 4, 2002.
Chistyakov, Roman, High Deposition Rate Sputtering, U.S. Appl. No. 10/065,739, filed Nov. 14, 2002.
Chistyakov, Roman, High-Power Pulsed Magnetically Enhanced Plasma Processing, U.S. Appl. No. 10/065,551, filed Oct. 29, 2002.
Chistyakov, Roman, High-Density Plasma Source, U.S. Appl. No. 10/249,595, filed Apr. 22, 2003.
Chistyakov, Roman, High-Density Plasma Source Using Excited Atoms, U.S. Appl. No. 10/249,844, filed May 122, 2003.
Chistyakov, Roman, Generation Of Uniformly Distributed Plasma, U.S. Appl. No. 10/249,773, filed May 6, 2003.
Chistyakov, Roman, Plasma Generation Using Multi-Step Ionization, U.S. Appl. No. 10/249,202, filed Mar. 21, 2003.
Chistyakov, Roman, Plasma Source

LandOfFree

Say what you really think

Search LandOfFree.com for the USA inventors and patents. Rate them and share your experience with other people.

Rating

Methods and apparatus for generating strongly-ionized... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Methods and apparatus for generating strongly-ionized..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Methods and apparatus for generating strongly-ionized... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

     

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3633839

  Search
All data on this website is collected from public sources. Our data reflects the most accurate information available at the time of publication.