Method for Monitoring a Plasma, Device for Carrying Out this Method, Use of this Method for Depositing a Film Onto a Pet Hollow Body

• US 20080292781A1
• Filed: 10/26/2006
• Published: 11/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sidel Participations (Tetra Laval Holdings BV)
• Original Assignee: Sidel Participations (Tetra Laval Holdings BV)
• Inventors: Rius, Jean-Michel, Feuilloley, Guy
• Application Number:
  US12/091,933
• Publication Number:
  US 20080292781A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 427/8
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/045 Coating cavities or hollow spaces, e.g. interior of tubes; Infiltration of porous substrates
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/26 Deposition of carbon only
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/52 Controlling or regulating the coating process C23C16/45557, C23C16/279 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32935 Monitoring and controlling tubes by information coming from the object and/or discharge
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32972 Spectral analysis

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for monitoring the composition of a plasma, this plasma being generated from determined precursors for depositing a film onto a polymer material. This method involves receiving light intensities emitted by the plasma and comprises: a step for selecting a first reference wavelength range that is selected within a plasma emission spectral region in which no significant signal of a parasitic chemical species can exist, i.e. which is not part of the determined precursors and which is thus normally not present in the plasma and whose presence in the plasma influences the nature of the deposited film; a step for selecting a second wavelength range which is selected within a plasma emission spectral region in which a significant signal of a parasitic chemical species is likely to exist; a step for simultaneously acquiring light intensities emitted by the plasma in each of the two selected wavelength ranges emitted by the plasma in each of the two selected wavelength ranges, and; a step for calculating, on the basis of these light intensities, at least one monitoring coefficient.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring the composition of a plasma, said plasma having a plasma emission spectrum, and being generated from at least one defined gaseous precursor for a deposition of a film onto a polymer material, said method comprising at least one measurement of light intensities emitted by said plasma, said method comprising:

a step of selecting a first wavelength range as a reference range, which is selected from a region of said plasma emission spectrum in which no significant signal can exist, which is characteristic of a parasitic chemical species, that does not form part of said defined precursors and is therefore normally not present in said plasma, and the presence of which in said plasma influences the nature of said film when deposited;

a step of selecting a second wavelength range which is selected from a region of said plasma emission spectrum in which a significant signal characteristic of a parasitic chemical species is likely to exist;

a step of simultaneously acquiring the light intensities emitted by said plasma in each of said first and second selected wavelength ranges; and

a step of calculating, from said light intensities, at least one monitoring coefficient.

2. The method of monitoring the composition of a plasma as claimed in claim 1, wherein said two wavelength ranges have very small spectral widths corresponding substantially to two wavelengths λ

₁ and λ

₂.

3. The method of monitoring the composition of a plasma as claimed in claim 2, wherein at least one monitoring coefficient is a function of a difference between measured emission intensities for said first and second wavelengths λ

₁ and λ

₂.

4. The method of monitoring the composition of a plasma as claimed in claim 2, wherein at least one monitoring coefficient is a function of a difference between measured emission intensities for said first and second wavelengths λ

₁ and λ

₂, said difference being normalized with a value of an emission intensity for one of said first and second wavelengths.

5. The method of monitoring the composition of a plasma as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first and second wavelength ranges each have a spectral width and correspond to a first and second bandwidths respectively.

6. The method of monitoring the composition of a plasma as claimed in claim 5, wherein at least one monitoring coefficient is a function of a difference between measured emission intensities for said first and second bandwidths.

7. The method of monitoring the composition of a plasma as claimed in claim 5, wherein at least one monitoring coefficient is a function of a difference between measured emission intensities for said first and second bandwidths, said difference being normalized to said measured emission intensity for one of said first and second bandwidths.

8. The method of monitoring the composition of a plasma as claimed in claim 1, wherein said parasitic chemical species likely to generate said significant signal in said second wavelength range is a species that is not desired in said film to be plasma deposited on said polymer material.

9. The method of monitoring the composition of a plasma as claimed in claim 1, wherein said at least one gaseous precursor is selected from alkanes, alkenes, alkynes and aromatics, said parasitic chemical species likely to generate a significant signal in said second wavelength range being one of the constituents of air.

10. The method of monitoring the composition of a plasma as claimed in claim 9, wherein said gaseous precursor is based on acetylene, said parasitic chemical species being nitrogen.

11. The method of monitoring the composition of a plasma as claimed in claim 9, wherein said gaseous precursor is based on acetylene, said parasitic chemical species being oxygen.

12. The method of monitoring the composition of a plasma as claimed in claim 1, wherein said selected wavelength ranges are selected from a part of said plasma emission spectrum lying between approximately 800 nanometers and approximately 1000 nanometers.

13. The method of monitoring the composition of a plasma as claimed in claim 1, wherein said plasma is a microwave plasma for depositing a film onto a hollow body made of PET.

14. A device for implementing the method of monitoring the composition of a plasma as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that it comprises at least one detector for detecting the light intensity emitted by the plasma, and microwave electromagnetic excitation means for generating a plasma in a microwave cavity, this cavity containing a vacuum chamber, this vacuum chamber being intended to house a container made of polymer material, for the deposition of a film inside this container.

15. The device as claimed in claim 14, characterized in that the detector(s) are placed against the cavity, the light intensities being measured through the container and through the wall of the vacuum chamber.