Arrangement for producing plasma

• US 6,191,532 B1
• Filed: 05/25/1999
• Issued: 02/20/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Leybold Systems GmbH
• Original Assignee: Leybold Systems GmbH
• Inventors: Liehr, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Shingleton, Michael B
• Application Number:
  US09/317,992
• Time in Patent Office: 637 Days
• Field of Search: 315/111.21, 315/111.51, 118/723.I, 118/723.IR, 118/723.AN, 118/723.MW
• US Class Current: 315/111.21
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32192 Microwave generated discharge H01J37/32357, H01J37/32366, H01J37/32394, H01J37/32403 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/3222 Antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32284 Means for controlling or selecting resonance mode
• CPC Class Codes: H05H 1/46 using applied electromagnetic fields, e.g. high frequency or microwave energy H05H1/26 takes precedence

Abstract

For an arrangement for producing plasma in a vacuum chamber (3) with the aid of electromagnetic alternating fields, a rod-shaped conductor (4) is guided though a vacuum chamber (3) within a tube (5) of insulating material, with the inner diameter of the insulating tube (5) being greater than the diameter of the conductor (4) and at least one end of the insulating tube (5) being held in a wall (6,7) of the vacuum chamber (3) and the outer surface of the insulating tube being sealed with respect to the vacuum chamber, with at least one end of the conductor (4) being connected to a first source (8,9) for producing electromagnetic alternating fields and the region of the section of the rod-shaped conductor (4) which extends into the vacuum chamber (3) being in the form of a helix (2), with the winding length (L) of said section amounting to L=C/cos(α) for a wavelength λ₀=10°<α<15°.

Claims

1. An arrangement for producing plasma in a vacuum chamber with the aid of electromagnetic alternating fields, comprising a rod-shaped conductor for guiding through a wall of a vacuum chamber, a tube of insulating material for housing said conductor, the inner diameter of the insulating tube being greater than the diameter of the conductor, with at least one end of the insulating tube being holdable in a wall of a vacuum chamber and the outer surface of the insulating tube being sealable with respect to a vacuum chamber and at least one end of the conductor being connectable to a first source for producing electromagnetic alternating fields, with a region of a section of the rod-shaped conductor which is extendable into a vacuum chamber being in the form of a helix, with the winding length (L) of said section amounting to L=C/cos(α

) for a wavelength λ

₀=10°

<

α

<

15°

.

4. A vacuum chamber fitted with the arrangement according to claim 1.

2. An arrangement for producing plasma in a vacuum chamber with the aid of electromagnetic alternating fields, comprising a plurality of rod-shaped conductors being guidable through a wall of a vacuum chamber, said conductors being within a tube of insulating material having ends and the inner diameter of the insulating tube being greater than the diameter of the conductors, with both ends of the insulating tube being holdable in walls of a vacuum chamber and the outer surfaces of the insulating tube being sealable with respect to walls of a vacuum chamber and the conductors are connectable to a separate source for producing electromagnetic alternating fields, with regions of the sections of the rod-shaped conductors extendable into a vacuum chamber being in the form of helices and the length of the turns (L,L′

) of said two sections amounting to L=C/cos(α

) for a wavelength λ

₀=10°

<

α

<

15°

.

3. An arrangement for producing plasma in a vacuum chamber with the aid of electromagnetic alternating fields, comprising a plurality of rod-shaped conductors are guidable through a vacuum chamber, said conductors located within tubes of insulating material and the inner diameter of the insulating tube, in each case, being greater than the diameter of the conductor, with, in each case, one end of an insulating tube being holdable in walls of a vacuum chamber and, in each case, the outer surface of an insulating tube being sealable with respect to walls of a vacuum chamber and, in each case, one end of each conductor being connectable to a source for producing electromagnetic alternating fields, with the regions of the sections of the rod-shaped conductors which are extendable into a vacuum chamber being in the form of helices and the length of the turns (L,L′

) of said two sections corresponding to L=C/cos(α

) approximately of a wavelength λ

₀=10°

<

α

<

15°

.