PLASMA REACTOR HAVING DIGITAL CONTROL OVER ROTATION FREQUENCY OF A MICROWAVE FIELD WITH DIRECT UP-CONVERSION
First Claim
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1. A plasma reactor comprising:
- a cylindrical microwave cavity overlying a workpiece processing chamber, and first and second coupling apertures in a sidewall of said cylindrical microwave cavity spaced apart by an angle;
a system-controlling clock to generate a system clock signal; and
a microwave source having a microwave frequency and comprising a microwave controller having respective microwave outputs coupled to respective ones of said first and second coupling apertures, said microwave controller includingdigital circuitry configured to receive the system clock signal and generate therefrom two digital outputs, at least one of the two digital outputs being a combination of a first component having an first frequency that is lower than the microwave frequency and a second component having a second frequency that is lower than the first frequency,a digital-to-analog converter coupled to said two digital outputs to generate two analog outputs corresponding to said two digital outputs, andan up-converter coupled to said two analog outputs to convert the two analog outputs to the microwave frequency to provide said microwave outputs.
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Abstract
A plasma reactor for processing a workpiece has a microwave source with a digitally synthesized rotation frequency using direct digital up-conversion and a user interface for controlling the rotation frequency.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. A plasma reactor comprising:
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a cylindrical microwave cavity overlying a workpiece processing chamber, and first and second coupling apertures in a sidewall of said cylindrical microwave cavity spaced apart by an angle; a system-controlling clock to generate a system clock signal; and a microwave source having a microwave frequency and comprising a microwave controller having respective microwave outputs coupled to respective ones of said first and second coupling apertures, said microwave controller including digital circuitry configured to receive the system clock signal and generate therefrom two digital outputs, at least one of the two digital outputs being a combination of a first component having an first frequency that is lower than the microwave frequency and a second component having a second frequency that is lower than the first frequency, a digital-to-analog converter coupled to said two digital outputs to generate two analog outputs corresponding to said two digital outputs, and an up-converter coupled to said two analog outputs to convert the two analog outputs to the microwave frequency to provide said microwave outputs. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification