Toroidal low-field reactive gas source
First Claim
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1. A method for dissociating gases comprising:
- a) confining a gas in a plasma chamber at a pressure;
b) providing a transformer having a magnetic core surrounding a portion of the chamber and having a primary winding;
c) generating an AC current using a solid state AC switching power supply comprising one or more switching semiconductor devices and having an output that is coupled to the primary winding of the transformer;
d) inducing an AC potential inside the plasma chamber by supplying the current to the primary winding, the induced AC potential forming a toroidal plasma that completes a secondary circuit of the transformer and that dissociates the gas;
e) measuring the current supplied to the primary winding;
f) comparing the measured current to a predetermined setpoint representative of a desired operating condition; and
g) adjusting one or more electrical parameters of the AC switching power supply to control the current supplied to the primary winding.
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Abstract
An apparatus for dissociating gases includes a plasma chamber that may be formed from a metallic material and a transformer having a magnetic core surrounding a portion of the plasma chamber and having a primary winding. The apparatus also includes one or more switching semiconductor devices that are directly coupled to a voltage supply and that have an output coupled to the primary winding of the transformer. The one or more switching semiconductor devices drive current in the primary winding that induces a potential inside the chamber that forms a plasma which completes a secondary circuit of the transformer.
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Citations
15 Claims
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1. A method for dissociating gases comprising:
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a) confining a gas in a plasma chamber at a pressure;
b) providing a transformer having a magnetic core surrounding a portion of the chamber and having a primary winding;
c) generating an AC current using a solid state AC switching power supply comprising one or more switching semiconductor devices and having an output that is coupled to the primary winding of the transformer;
d) inducing an AC potential inside the plasma chamber by supplying the current to the primary winding, the induced AC potential forming a toroidal plasma that completes a secondary circuit of the transformer and that dissociates the gas;
e) measuring the current supplied to the primary winding;
f) comparing the measured current to a predetermined setpoint representative of a desired operating condition; and
g) adjusting one or more electrical parameters of the AC switching power supply to control the current supplied to the primary winding. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A method for dissociating gases comprising:
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a) confining a gas in a plasma chamber at a pressure;
b) providing a transformer having a magnetic core surrounding a portion of the chamber and having a primary winding;
c) generating an AC current using a solid state AC switching power supply comprising one or more switching semiconductor devices and having an output that is coupled to the primary winding of the transformer;
d) inducing an AC potential inside the plasma chamber by supplying the current to the primary winding, the induced AC potential forming a toroidal plasma that completes a secondary circuit of the transformer and that dissociates the gas;
e) measuring power in the toroidal plasma;
f) comparing the measured power to a predetermined setpoint representative of a desired operating condition; and
g) adjusting a frequency of the AC switching power supply to control a delivered to the toroidal plasma.
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7. A method for dissociating gases comprising:
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a) confining a gas in a plasma chamber at a pressure;
b) providing a transformer having a magnetic core surrounding a portion of the chamber and having a primary winding;
c) generating a substantially sinusoidal current using a solid state AC switching power supply comprising one or more switching semiconductor devices and having an output that is coupled to the primary winding of the transformer; and
d) inducing an AC potential inside the plasma chamber by supplying the substantially sinusoidal current to the primary winding, the induced AC potential forming a toroidal plasma that completes a secondary circuit of the transformer and that dissociates the gas.
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8. An apparatus for dissociating gases comprising:
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a) a plasma chamber comprising a gas;
b) a transformer having a magnetic core surrounding a portion of the plasma chamber and having a primary winding;
c) a gas inlet for providing a feed gas to the plasma chamber; and
d) a solid state AC switching power supply comprising one or more switching semiconductor devices and having an output that is coupled through a reactive element to the primary winding of the transformer, the AC switching power supply supplying an AC current through the reactive element to the primary winding, the current inducing an AC potential inside the plasma chamber that forms a toroidal plasma that completes a secondary circuit of the transformer and that dissociates the feed gas. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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Specification