Filter for a plasma plume

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12330102-B2
Application number	US-202318298853-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 11, 2023
Priority date	Feb 19, 2020
Publication date	Jun 17, 2025
Grant date	Jun 17, 2025

Abstract

A filter for a pulsed laser deposition device includes a housing with two pass-through openings arranged in the housing wall and forming a pass-through channel for passing at least part of the plasma plume through the housing, which pass-through channel extends from one side of the housing to an opposite side of the housing, at least one primary blade arranged at a distance from and rotatable around a rotation axis, with the path of the at least one primary blade intersecting with the pass-through channel and with the at least one primary blade having a contact surface for contact with the plasma plume, and a drain channel connecting to a drain opening arranged in the housing wall.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A filter for filtering particles from a plasma plume, the filter comprising:
a housing comprising
a housing wall,
two pass-through openings arranged in the housing wall to form a pass-through channel for passing at least part of the plasma plume through the housing, which pass-through channel extends from one side of the housing to an opposite side of the housing, and
a drain opening arranged in a border on a radial outside of the housing wall;

at least one primary blade arranged within the housing at a distance from and rotatable around a rotation axis, wherein a path of the at least one primary blade intersects with the pass-through channel, wherein the at least one primary blade has a contact surface for contact with the plasma plume, and wherein the housing wall is configured to direct particles contacted by the contact surface of the at least one primary blade toward the drain opening; and
a drain channel connected to the drain opening such that the drain channel extends from the housing.

2. The filter according to claim 1 , wherein the contact surface comprises a concave shape facing in a rotation direction of the at least one primary blade.

3. The filter according to claim 2 , wherein a cord line of a radial cross section of the contact surface makes an angle larger than 15 degrees with the rotation axis.

4. The filter according to claim 1 , further comprising a disc arranged in the housing, the disc comprising at least one pass-through opening arranged in the disc.

5. The filter according to claim 4 , wherein the at least one primary blade is arranged on the disc.

6. The filter according to claim 5 , wherein the at least one primary blade is arranged adjacent to and trailing, when viewed in a rotation direction of the disc, the at least one pass-through opening in the disc.

7. The filter according to claim 5 , wherein a cylindrical wall is arranged on the disc and concentrically with the rotation axis, and wherein the at least one primary blade connects to the cylindrical wall.

8. The filter according to claim 1 , further comprising a secondary blade arranged to be rotatable around the rotation axis and to trail the at least one primary blade in a direction of rotation about the rotation axis.

9. The filter according to claim 8 , wherein an angle between a longitudinal axis of the at least one primary blade and a radial line extending from the rotation axis to a proximal end of the at least one primary blade is smaller than an angle between a longitudinal axis of the secondary blade and a radial line extending from the rotation axis to a proximal end of the secondary blade.

10. The filter according to claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of auxiliary blades arranged at a distance from and rotatable around the rotation axis.

11. The filter according to claim 9 , wherein the housing further comprises an auxiliary drain opening in the border on the radial outside of the housing wall, and the filter further comprises an auxiliary drain channel connected to the auxiliary drain opening.

12. A pulsed laser deposition device configured to transfer material from a target to a substrate by pulsed laser deposition, the pulsed laser deposition device comprising:
a laser; and
a filter for filtering particles from a plasma plume, the filter comprising
a housing comprising a housing wall,
two pass-through openings arranged in the housing wall to form a pass-through channel for passing at least part of the plasma plume through the housing, which pass-through channel extends from one side of the housing to an opposite side of the housing, and
a drain opening arranged in a border on a radial outside of the housing wall;

at least one primary blade arranged within the housing at a distance from and rotatable around a rotation axis, wherein a path of the at least one primary blade intersects with the pass-through channel, wherein the at least one primary blade has a contact surface for contact with the plasma plume, and wherein the housing wall is configured to direct particles contacted by the contact surface of the at least one primary blade toward the drain opening; and
a drain channel connected to the drain opening such that the drain channel extends from the housing.

13. The pulsed laser deposition device according to claim 12 , wherein the contact surface comprises a concave shape facing in a rotation direction of the at least one primary blade.

14. The pulsed laser deposition device according to claim 13 , wherein a cord line of a radial cross section of the contact surface makes an angle larger than 15 degrees with the rotation axis.

15. The pulsed laser deposition device according to claim 12 , wherein the rotation axis is a rotation axis of the at least one primary blade, further comprising a disc rotatable arranged in the housing, wherein a rotation axis of the disc coincides with the rotation axis of the at least one primary blade, and wherein at least one pass-through opening is arranged in the disc.

16. The pulsed laser deposition device according to claim 15 , wherein the at least one primary blade is arranged on the disc.

17. The pulsed laser deposition device according to claim 16 , wherein the at least one primary blade is arranged adjacent to and trailing, when viewed in a rotation direction of the disc, the at least one pass-through opening in the disc.

18. The pulsed laser deposition device according to claim 16 , wherein a cylindrical wall is arranged on the disc and concentrically with the rotation axis, and wherein the at least one primary blade connects to the cylindrical wall.

19. The pulsed laser deposition device according to claim 12 , further comprising a secondary blade arranged rotatable around the rotation axis and trailing the at least one primary blade in a direction of rotation about the rotation axis.

20. A method of filtering particles in a pulsed laser deposition device comprising a filter including a housing, the method comprising:
directing a pulsed laser at a target to generate a plasma plume and particles;
passing the plasma plume and the particles into the housing through a first pass-through opening arranged in a housing wall of the housing;
rotating at least one primary blade arranged within the housing such that the at least one primary blade passes through a portion of the plasma plume comprising the particles; and
directing the particles through a drain channel extending from the housing wall by bouncing the particles from the primary blade and directing the particles with the housing wall to a drain opening arranged in a border on a radial outside of the housing wall, wherein the drain channel is connected to the drain opening.

Assignees

• Lam Res Corp
• Lam Researh Corp

Inventors

• Dekkers Jan Matthijn
• Bohm Kristiaan Hendrikus Aloysius
• Hopman Willem Cornelis Lambert
• Heuver Jeroen Aaldert
• Janssens Jan Arnaud

Classifications

• B01D45/14 Primary

  generated by rotating vanes, discs, drums or brushes · CPC title

• B01D46/4227

  Manipulating filters or filter elements, e.g. handles or extracting tools · CPC title

• H01J37/32871 Primary

  Means for trapping or directing unwanted particles · CPC title

• C23C14/564

  Means for minimising impurities in the coating chamber such as dust, moisture, residual gases · CPC title

• C23C14/54

  Controlling or regulating the coating process · CPC title