Toroidal Plasma Channel with Varying Cross-Section Areas Along the Channel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017309456-A1
Application number	US-201715646017-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 10, 2017
Priority date	Nov 15, 2011
Publication date	Oct 26, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

An assembly for adjusting gas flow patterns and gas-plasma interactions including a toroidal plasma chamber. The toroidal plasma chamber has an injection member, an output member, a first side member and a second side member that are all connected. The first side member has a first inner cross-sectional area in at least a portion of the first side member and a second inner cross-sectional area in at least another portion of the first side member, where the first inner cross-sectional area and the second inner-cross-sectional area being different. The second side member has a third inner cross-sectional area in at least a portion of the second side member and a fourth inner cross-sectional area in at least another portion of the second side member, where the third inner cross-sectional area and the fourth inner-cross-sectional area being different.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for adjusting gas flow patterns and gas-plasma interactions, the method comprising:
providing a toroidal plasma chamber comprising an injection member, an output member, a first side member and a second side member, the first side member connecting a first end of the injection member and the output member, and the second side member connecting a second end of the injection member and the output member,
wherein the injection member, the output member, the first side member and the second side member form a toroidal plasma channel; and
injecting, via a first gas injector, a first gas into the first side member of the toroidal plasma chamber through the first end of the injection member, wherein the first side member has an inner cross-sectional area selected to substantially match a size of a plasma formed using the first gas; and injecting, via a second gas injector, a second gas into the second side member of the toroidal plasma chamber through the second end of the injection member, wherein the second side member has an inner cross-sectional area selected to substantially match a size of a plasma formed using the second gas; and forming a plasma within the toroidal plasma chamber based on a flow of gas caused by the injection of the first and second gases, wherein a plasma current circulates continuously in the toroidal plasma channel,
wherein the first gas and the second gas are different gases, and the inner cross- sectional area of the first side member is different from the inner cross-sectional area of the second side member.

2 . The method of claim 1 wherein the first side member and the second side member have a complementary shape.

3 . The method of claim 2 wherein the first side member and the second side member are parallel.

4 . The method of claim 1 wherein both the first side member and the second side member are connected to the injection member and the output member with connectors that create a vacuum seal to prevent leakage of gas and plasma and an electric break.

5 . The method of claim 4 further comprising fluid-cooling the connectors.

6 . The method of claim 5 wherein the fluid is water.

7 . The method of claim 1 wherein the first side member and the second side member are removable.

8 . The method of claim 1 wherein forming a plasma within the toroidal plasma chamber further comprises:
exciting the first gas in the first side member of the toroidal plasma chamber; and
exciting the second gas in the second side member of the toroidal plasma chamber.

9 . The method of claim 1 wherein the inner cross-sectional area of the first side member is selected based on one or more of a resistivity, an electron life time, and a plasma diffusion length of the plasma formed using the first gas.

10 . The method of claim 1 wherein the inner cross-sectional area of the first side member is further selected based on one or more of a flow rate, a temperature, a pressure, and a chemical property of the first gas.

11 . The method of claim 1 wherein the inner cross-sectional area of the second side member is selected based on one or more of a resistivity, an electron life time, and a plasma diffusion length of the plasma formed using the second gas.

12 . The method of claim 1 wherein the inner cross-sectional area of the second side member is further selected based on one or more of a flow rate, a temperature, a pressure, and a chemical property of the second gas.

Assignees

• Mks Instr Inc

Inventors

• Hu Chaolin
• Chen Xing

Classifications

• H01J37/32449 Primary

  Gas control, e.g. control of the gas flow · CPC title

• G21B1/17

  Vacuum chambers; Vacuum systems · CPC title

• F17D1/04

  for distribution of gas · CPC title

• H01J37/32807

  Construction (includes replacing parts of the apparatus) · CPC title

• C23C16/45591

  Fixed means, e.g. wings, baffles · CPC title