Discharge surface treatment apparatus and discharge surface treatment method

• US 8,746,174 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2012
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Nakano, Yoshikazu, Goto, Akihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): GREEN, TELLY D
• Application Number:
  US13/820,909
• Publication Number:
  US 20130344651A1
• Time in Patent Office: 714 Days
• Field of Search: 118/623, 118/723.E, 257/E21.172, 427/577, 427/569
• US Class Current: 118/723.E
• CPC Class Codes: B23H 1/022 for shaping the discharge pulse train B23H1/024 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/16 on metallic substrates or on substrates of boron or silicon
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/3485 using pulsed power to the target
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32559 Protection means, e.g. coatings
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 37/32568 Relative arrangement or disposition of electrodes; moving means
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/02631 Physical deposition at reduced pressure, e.g. MBE, sputtering, evaporation

Abstract

A discharge surface treatment apparatus supplies an electrode material to a surface of a treatment target member by generating pulsating discharges across an inter-electrode gap to form a coating of the electrode material, and includes a switching element that turns application of a voltage from a power source to the inter-electrode gap on/off, a capacitance element that is connected to the switching element in parallel with the inter-electrode gap, an inductance element that is connected in series between both of the switching element and the capacitance element and the inter-electrode gap, and a control unit that includes a function of periodically performing on/off so that an induced electromotive force generated in the inductance element due to a change in the current of discharge generated across the inter-electrode gap can be used as a voltage that induces the next discharge.

Claims

1. A discharge surface treatment apparatus that supplies an electrode material to a surface of a treatment target member by generating pulsating discharges across an inter-electrode gap, which is a clearance between a discharge surface treatment electrode and the treatment target member, and forms a coating of the electrode material, comprising:

a switching element that turns application of a voltage from a power source to the inter-electrode gap on/off;

a capacitance element that is connected to the switching element to be in parallel with the inter-electrode gap between the switching element and the inter-electrode gap;

an inductance element that is connected in series between the switching element and the inter-electrode gap, and that is connected at one end to the capacitance element and at the other end to the inter-electrode gap; and

a control unit that includes a function of periodically performing on/off so that an induced electromotive force generated in the inductance element due to a change in the current of discharge generated across the inter-electrode gap can be used as a voltage that induces the next discharge.

2. The discharge surface treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit generates a discharge while the switching element is off by the induced electromotive force of the inductance element.

3. The discharge surface treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an inductance value of the inductance element is 50 μ

H or more and 2 mH or less.

4. The discharge surface treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the switching element is made of a material consisting mainly of a wide bandgap semiconductor.

5. The discharge surface treatment apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the wide bandgap semiconductor is a semiconductor in which a silicon carbide, a gallium nitride-based material, or a diamond is used.

6. A discharge surface treatment method of a discharge surface treatment apparatus that supplies an electrode material to the surface of a treatment target member by generating pulsating discharges across an inter-electrode gap, which is a clearance between a discharge surface treatment electrode and the treatment target member, and forms a coating of the electrode material, wherein

the discharge surface treatment apparatus includes

a switching element that turns application of a voltage from a power source to the inter-electrode gap on/off,

a capacitance element that is connected to the switching element to be in parallel with the inter-electrode gap between the switching element and the inter-electrode gap, and

an inductance element that is connected in series between the switching element and the inter-electrode gap, and that is connected at one end to the capacitance element and at the other end to the inter-electrode gap, and

the discharge surface treatment method includes periodically turning on/off the switching element so that a next discharge is induced by an induced electromotive force generated in the inductance element due to a change in the current of discharge generated across the inter-electrode gap.

7. The discharge surface treatment method according to claim 6, wherein the periodically turning on/off the switching element includes generating discharges while the switching element is off by an induced electromotive force of the inductance element.

8. The discharge surface treatment method according to claim 6, wherein an inductance value of the inductance element is 50 μ

H or more and 2 mH or less.

9. The discharge surface treatment method according to claim 6, wherein the switching element is made of a material consisting mainly of a wide bandgap semiconductor.

10. The discharge surface treatment method according to claim 9, wherein the wide bandgap semiconductor is a semiconductor in which a silicon carbide, a gallium nitride-based material, or a diamond is used.