Method for cleaning hollow articles with plasma
First Claim
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1. A method of removing organic compounds from an interior portion of a hollow container having interior and exterior portions and having organic compounds in said interior portion, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) introducing an oxidizing, working gas within an interior portion of said container having organic compounds therein, while maintaining sub-atmosphere pressure therein; and
(b) applying an electric field for converting said working gas within at least said interior portion into a low temperature plasma, and maintaining said plasma so that said plasma oxidizes substantially all of the organic compounds situated within said interior portion of the container.
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Abstract
A method of cleaning a hollow article comprises a step of introducing an oxidizing working gas into at least an interior portion of the hollow article, while a sub-atmospheric pressure is being maintained therein. Then, an electric field is applied, so as to convert the oxidizing working gas within at least the interior portion of the article into a low temperature plasma. This leads to oxidizing substances situated at least within the interior portion of the hollow article.
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Citations
24 Claims
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1. A method of removing organic compounds from an interior portion of a hollow container having interior and exterior portions and having organic compounds in said interior portion, said method comprising the steps of:
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(a) introducing an oxidizing, working gas within an interior portion of said container having organic compounds therein, while maintaining sub-atmosphere pressure therein; and (b) applying an electric field for converting said working gas within at least said interior portion into a low temperature plasma, and maintaining said plasma so that said plasma oxidizes substantially all of the organic compounds situated within said interior portion of the container. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method of removing organic compounds from an interior portion of a hollow container having interior and exterior portions and having organic contaminants in said interior portion, said method comprising the steps of:
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(a) introducing an oxidizing, working gas within said interior portion of said container having organic compounds therein while maintaining sub-atmospheric pressure therein; and (b) applying an electric field for converting said working gas within at least said interior portion into a low temperature plasma, and maintaining said plasma so that said plasma oxidizes substantially all of the organic compounds situated within said interior portion of the container the method further comprising the steps of cleaning a closure for the container by exposing the closure to a plasma and uniting the closure with the container after said step of cleaning the closure and after said steps (a) and (b) wherein said step of uniting the closure with the container is performed within an enclosed clean room, said steps (a) and (b) being performed within a plasma treatment chamber, the method further comprising the steps of introducing the container from outside of said clean room into the plasma treatment chamber and transferring the container directly from the treatment chamber into the clean room after performing said steps (a) and (b). - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24)
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Specification