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Arc recovery with over-voltage protection for plasma-chamber power supplies

  • US 8,395,078 B2
  • Filed: 12/04/2009
  • Issued: 03/12/2013
  • Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2008
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A system for supplying energy to a plasma processing chamber, the system comprising:

  • a power supply;

    a plasma processing chamber coupled to the power supply via a first power line and a second power line;

    an arc management component configured to extinguish an arc in the plasma processing chamber; and

    an arc recovery component configured to apply power to the plasma processing chamber after the arc has been extinguished, the arc recovery component including;

    an energy diversion component coupled by a switch across the first power line and the second power line to draw current away from the plasma processing chamber while power is applied to the plasma processing chamber during an initial period of time after the arc is extinguished, the amount of current being drawn away decreasing during the initial period of time so as to gradually increase an amount of power applied to the plasma processing chamber during the initial period of time; and

    a control component that controls the switch to couple the energy diversion component across the first power line and the second power line during the initial period of time after the arc is extinguished and decouple the energy diversion component from being across the first power line and the second power line after the initial period until another arc is detected.

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