Plasma treatment equipment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9713242-B2
Application number	US-201113808168-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 27, 2011
Priority date	Jul 7, 2010
Publication date	Jul 18, 2017
Grant date	Jul 18, 2017

Abstract

A plasma treatment equipment includes: a plasma starting and stabilizing unit (A) having an insulating material such as a dielectric material having an elongated hole connecting to a plasma ejection portion, a triggering and discharge-stabilizing electrode, and an intense electric field electrode mounted thereon; and a plasma generating unit (B) including the insulating material having the elongated hole and a plasma generating electrode configured to perform main plasma generation at the time of operation, wherein the triggering and discharge-stabilizing electrode, the intense electric field electrode, and the plasma generating electrode are provided in such a manner that all the electrodes are not exposed and covered with the dielectric material for the entire space of one or more of the elongated hole which allows passage of gas from the upstream, starting of the plasma and generation of the plasma, and ejection of the plasma jet.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Plasma treatment equipment, comprising:
a plasma starting and stabilizing unit comprising a single cylindrical dielectric material having an elongated hole for supplying gas connecting to a plasma ejection port, a triggering and discharge stabilizing electrode which comprises a wire or rod electrode embedded in a tube wall thickness portion of the dielectric material so as to extend along the longitudinal direction, and a high-voltage intense electric field electrode mounted on an outer surface of the dielectric material, the plasma starting and stabilizing unit being configured to start a plasma and to maintain a stable discharge of the plasma after starting of the plasma; and
a plasma generating unit, comprising the dielectric material having the elongated hole and a high-voltage plasma generating electrode located at the plasma ejection hole side relative to the high-voltage intense electric field electrode and having an area larger than that of the high-voltage intense electric field electrode, that is configured to perform main plasma generation in operation;
wherein the high-voltage intense electric field electrode is provided, as seen in a cross-sectional plane perpendicular to the axis of the elongated hole, so as to extend along the curvature of the dielectric material less than 180 degrees around the center of the elongated hole,
wherein the high-voltage plasma generating electrode is provided, as seen in the cross-sectional plane perpendicular to the axis, so as to extend along the curvature of the dielectric material to a greater extent than the high-voltage intense electric field electrode,
wherein the high-voltage intense electric field electrode is provided so as to face the triggering and discharge-stabilizing electrode across the elongated hole formed in the dielectric material,
wherein the triggering and discharge stabilizing electrode is not disposed to face the high-voltage plasma generating electrode across the elongated hole formed in the dielectric material; and
wherein the triggering and discharge stabilizing electrode, the high-voltage intense electric field electrode, and the high-voltage plasma generating electrode are provided in such a manner that the electrodes are not exposed but are covered with the dielectric material to the entire space of the elongated hole which allows passage of gas from an upper stream side, starting of the plasma, generation of the plasma, and ejection of a plasma jet.

2. The plasma treatment equipment of claim 1 , wherein:
the high-voltage intense electric field electrode and the high-voltage plasma generating electrode are formed integrally and extending from an upstream direction of the gas toward the location of the plasma jet,
the integrally formed high-voltage intense electric field electrode and the high-voltage plasma generating electrode are provided in a depression formed on an outer circumference of the dielectric material and along a curvature of the dielectric material, and
the high-voltage intense electric field electrode is shorter than the high-voltage plasma generating electrode in the longitudinal direction.

3. The plasma treatment equipment of claim 1 , wherein the triggering and discharge-stabilizing electrode and the high-voltage intense electric field electrode of the plasma starting and stabilizing unit are provided at positions so that electric field intensity is enhanced in the space in which gas passes discharge starts.

4. The plasma treatment equipment of claim 1 , wherein a high-frequency electric field shield member formed of a metallic material and completely covered with an insulating material is provided on an outer surface of a tip end portion of the dielectric material, which constitutes the plasma ejection port, and wherein the metallic material is directly grounded or grounded by impedance.

5. The plasma treatment equipment of claim 1 , wherein an inner surface of the elongated hole has concavities and convexities.

6. The plasma treatment equipment of claim 1 , comprising a dielectric cover as an insulating material so as to cover the outer circumference of the dielectric material.

7. The plasma treatment equipment of claim 6 , further comprising a metallic cover which covers the dielectric cover with an air layer in between.

8. The plasma treatment equipment of claim 7 , further comprising a high-frequency electric field shield member formed of a metallic material completely covered with an insulating material and provided on an outer surface of a tip end portion of the dielectric material forming the plasma ejection port, wherein the high-frequency electric field shield member is electrically connected to the metallic cover in the vicinity of the tip end portion of the plasma ejection port, and wherein the metallic cover is connected to a zero potential side of a power source or grounded.

9. The plasma treatment equipment of claim 1 , further comprising a high-voltage and high-frequency power source using a piezoelectric element.

10. The plasma treatment equipment of claim 1 , further comprising a pulse gas supply device that is configured to supply gas to the elongated hole in a pulsed manner.

11. The plasma treatment equipment of claim 1 , further comprising an ejector for a blood coagulation booster.

12. A plasma treatment method comprising treating an object with a plasma jet using the plasma treatment equipment of claim 1 .

13. A plasma treatment method comprising treating an object with a blood coagulation booster or a material surface agent and treating the object with a plasma jet using the plasma treatment equipment of claim 1 .

Assignees

• Sakakita Hajime
• Ikehara Yuzuru
• Kiyama Satoru
• Nat Inst Advanced Ind Science & Tech

Inventors

• Sakakita Hajime
• Ikehara Yuzuru
• Kiyama Satoru

Classifications

• H05H1/2406 Primary

  using dielectric barrier discharges, i.e. with a dielectric interposed between the electrodes · CPC title

• A61B2018/00982

  combined with or comprising means for visual or photographic inspections inside the body, e.g. endoscopes · CPC title

• A61B2018/00589

  Coagulation · CPC title

• A61B18/042 Primary

  using additional gas becoming plasma · CPC title

• H05H2001/2412

  Electricity · mapped topic