High voltage resistive output stage circuit

• US 10,460,910 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2018
• Issued: 10/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EHT Ventures LLC
• Original Assignee: Eagle Harbor Technolologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Ziemba, Timothy M., Miller, Kenneth E., Prager, James R., Carscadden, John G., Slobodov, Ilia
• Primary Examiner(s): Ferguson, Dion
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sathiraju, Srinivas
• Application Number:
  US15/941,731
• Publication Number:
  US 20180286636A1
• Time in Patent Office: 578 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2237/2485 Electric or electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/241 High voltage power supply or regulation circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32091 the radio frequency energy being capacitively coupled to the plasma
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32146 Amplitude modulation, includes pulsing
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32174 Circuits specially adapted for controlling the RF discharge
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32348 Dielectric barrier discharge
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3467 Pulsed operation, e.g. HIPIMS
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 3/021 by the use, as active elements, of more than one type of element or means, e.g. BIMOS, composite devices such as IGBT
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 3/57 the switching device being a semiconductor device

Abstract

Some embodiments include a high voltage, high frequency switching circuit. The switching circuit may include a high voltage switching power supply that produces pulses having a voltage greater than 1 kV and with frequencies greater than 10 kHz and an output. The switching circuit may also include a resistive output stage electrically coupled in parallel with the output and between the output stage and the high voltage switching power supply, the resistive output stage comprising at least one resistor that discharges a load coupled with the output. In some embodiments, the resistive output stage may be configured to discharge over about 1 kilowatt of average power during each pulse cycle. In some embodiments, the output can produce a high voltage pulse having a voltage greater than 1 kV and with frequencies greater than 10 kHz with a pulse fall time less than about 400 ns.

Claims

1. A high voltage, high frequency switching circuit comprising:

a high voltage switching power supply that produces pulses having a voltage greater than 1 kV and with frequencies greater than 10 kHz;

an output; and

a resistive output stage electrically coupled to, and in parallel with the output of the high voltage switching power supply, the resistive output stage comprising at least one resistor and at least one inductor arranged in series with the at least one resistor, wherein the at least one resistor discharges a load coupled with the output, the resistive output stage configured to dissipate over about 1 kilowatt of average power, wherein the resistor in the resistive output stage includes a resistance R and the output is coupled with a load having a capacitance C such that R≈

C/t_f where t_f is the pulse fall time.

2. The high voltage, high frequency switching circuit according to claim 1, wherein the high voltage switching power supply comprises a power supply, at least one switch, and a step-up transformer.

3. The high voltage, high frequency switching circuit according to claim 1, wherein the output is coupled with a plasma load that is capacitive.

4. The high voltage, high frequency switching circuit according to claim 1, wherein the output is coupled with a plasma load that includes a dielectric barrier discharge.

5. The high voltage, high frequency switching circuit according to claim 1, wherein the resistance of the resistor in the resistive output stage has a value less than about 400 ohms.

6. The high voltage, high frequency switching circuit according to claim 1, wherein the high voltage high frequency switching power supply delivers peak powers greater than 100 kW.

7. The high voltage, high frequency switching circuit according to claim 1, wherein the load is capacitive in nature and the high voltage, high frequency switching circuit charges the load capacitance and discharges the load capacitance.

8. The high voltage, high frequency switching circuit according to claim 1, wherein the output can produce a high voltage pulse having a voltage greater than 1 kV and with frequencies greater than 10 kHz with pulse fall times less than about 400 ns.

9. The high voltage, high frequency switching circuit according to claim 1, wherein the inductor has a value less than 300 nH.

10. The high voltage, high frequency switching circuit according to claim 1, wherein the inductor has a value less than 15 μ

H and 100 nH.

11. A high voltage, high frequency switching circuit comprising:

a high voltage switching power supply that produces pulses having a voltage greater than 1 kV and with frequencies greater than 10 kHz;

an output; and

a resistive output stage electrically coupled to, and in parallel with the output of the high voltage switching power supply, the resistive output stage comprising at least one resistor and at least one inductor arranged in series with the at least one resistor, wherein the at least one resistor discharges a load coupled with the output, the resistive output stage configured to dissipate over about 1 kilowatt of average power, wherein the load is capacitive in nature with a capacitance less than 50 nF, wherein the load capacitance does not hold charges for times greater than 10 μ

s.

12. A high voltage, high frequency switching circuit comprising:

a high voltage switching power supply that produces pulses having a voltage greater than 1 kV and with frequencies greater than 10 kHz;

an output; and

a resistive output stage electrically coupled to, and in parallel with the output of the high voltage switching power supply, the resistive output stage comprising at least one resistor and at least one inductor arranged in series with the at least one resistor, wherein the at least one resistor discharges a load coupled with the output, the resistive output stage configured to dissipate over about 1 kilowatt of average power, wherein the output produces a negative bias voltage within a plasma of greater than −

2 kV when the high voltage switching power supply is not providing a high voltage pulse.

13. A high voltage, high frequency switching circuit comprising:

a high voltage switching power supply that produces pulses having a voltage greater than 1 kV and with frequencies greater than 10 kHz;

an output; and

a resistive output stage electrically coupled to, and in parallel with the output of the high voltage switching power supply, the resistive output stage comprising at least one resistor and at least one inductor arrange in series with the at least one resistor, the at least one resistor discharges a load coupled with the output,

wherein the output can produce a high voltage pulse having a voltage greater than 1 kV and with frequencies greater than 10 kHz and with a pulse fall time less than about 400 ns, wherein the resistor in the resistive output stage includes a resistance R and the output is coupled with a load having a capacitance C such that R≈

C/t_f where t_f is the pulse fall time.

14. The high voltage, high frequency switching circuit according to claim 13, wherein the resistive output stage is configured to dissipate over about 1 kilowatt of power.

15. The high voltage, high frequency switching circuit according to claim 13, wherein the high voltage switching power supply comprises a power supply, at least one switch, and a step-up transformer.

16. The high voltage, high frequency switching circuit according to claim 13, wherein the resistive output stage handles a peak power greater than 10 kW.

17. The high voltage, high frequency switching circuit according to claim 13, wherein the resistance of the resistor in the resistive output stage is less than about 400 ohms.

18. The high voltage, high frequency switching circuit according to claim 13, wherein the resistive output stage includes an inductor and a resistor, and wherein the inductance L of the inductor and the resistance R of the resistor are set to satisfy L/R≈

tp, where tp is the pulse width of the pulse.

19. The high voltage, high frequency switching circuit according to claim 13, wherein the high voltage switching power supply establishes a potential within a plasma that is used to accelerate ions into a surface.

20. The high voltage, high frequency switching circuit according to claim 13, wherein the output produces a negative bias voltage within a plasma of greater than −

2 kV when the high voltage switching power supply is not providing a high voltage pulse.

21. The high voltage, high frequency switching circuit according to claim 13, wherein the inductor has a value less than 300 nH.

22. The high voltage, high frequency switching circuit according to claim 13, wherein the inductor has a value less than 15 μ

H and 100 nH.

23. A high voltage, high frequency switching circuit comprising:

a high voltage switching power supply that produces pulses having a voltage greater than 1 kV and with frequencies greater than 10 kHz;

an output; and

a resistive output stage electrically coupled to, and in parallel with the output of the high voltage switching power supply, the resistive output stage comprising at least one resistor and at least one inductor arrange in series with the at least one resistor,

wherein the output can produce a high voltage pulse having a voltage greater than 1 kV with frequencies greater than 10 kHz and with pulse fall times less than about 400 ns, and wherein the output is electrically coupled to a plasma type load, wherein the plasma type load can be modeled as having capacitive elements less than 20 nF in size.

24. The high voltage, high frequency switching circuit according to claim 23, wherein the plasma type load is designed to accelerate ions into a surface.

25. The high voltage, high frequency switching circuit according to claim 23, wherein a potential is established to accelerate ions into a surface through the action of the high voltage high frequency switching power supply.

26. The high voltage, high frequency switching circuit according to claim 23, wherein the plasma type is capacitive in nature.

27. The high voltage, high frequency switching circuit according to claim 23, wherein the plasma type load includes a dielectric barrier discharge.

28. The high voltage, high frequency switching circuit according to claim 23, wherein the high voltage high frequency switching power supply delivers peak powers greater than 100 kW.

29. The high voltage, high frequency switching circuit according to claim 23, wherein the high voltage switching power supply comprises power supply, at least one switch, and a step-up transformer.