Consolidated filter arrangement for devices in an RF environment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9872341-B2
Application number	US-201414555435-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 26, 2014
Priority date	Nov 26, 2014
Publication date	Jan 16, 2018
Grant date	Jan 16, 2018

Abstract

A system includes a plurality of elements that are to operate in a radio frequency (RF) environment. The system further includes a plurality of switching devices to operate in the RF environment, each of the plurality of switching devices to control power to at least one of the plurality of elements, wherein the plurality of switching devices are coupled to a power line that is to provide power from outside the RF environment. A filter is coupled to the power line to filter out RF noise introduced into the power line by the RF environment. The system further includes a converter, coupled to the one or more switching devices, to operate in the RF environment and to provide a non-conductive communication link between the one or more switching devices and a controller outside of the RF environment.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a first plurality of elements disposed in a radio frequency (RF) environment;
a second plurality of elements disposed outside of the RF environment;
a plurality of switching devices disposed in the RF environment, wherein each of the plurality of switching devices are operably coupled to a corresponding element of the first plurality of elements to control power to the corresponding element, wherein the plurality of switching devices are coupled to a power line that is to provide power from outside the RF environment;
a filter, coupled to the power line, to filter out RF noise introduced into the power line by the RF environment; and
a converter disposed in the RF environment and operably coupled to the plurality of switching devices to provide a non-conductive communication link between the plurality of switching devices and a controller outside of the RF environment, the controller comprising a real-time logic control, wherein the controller is to receive a process recipe via user input and is to control the first plurality of elements and the second plurality of elements substantially simultaneously based on the process recipe.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising an electrically conductive housing for the plurality of switching devices and the converter, wherein the electrically conductive housing substantially encloses the plurality of switching devices and the converter and maintains an approximately equal potential for the plurality of switching devices and the converter.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of switching devices and the converter are ungrounded and have an approximately equal spacing to walls of the housing to maintain the approximately equal potential and to avoid leakage current.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of switching devices are to receive an unmodulated power on the power line and are to output a modulated power to the plurality of elements, wherein a modulation of the modulated power is based on switching performed by the plurality of switching devices.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the plurality of switching devices are to modulate an output voltage.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of elements comprise at least one of resistive heating elements, heat lamps or lasers.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the non-conductive communication link comprises a fiber optic connection.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the converter comprises an optical converter that is to convert an optical control signal into an electrical control signal and to send the electrical control signal to at least one of the plurality of switching devices.

9. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
the controller; and
an additional converter disposed outside of the RF environment and electrically coupled to the controller to receive an electrical control signal from the controller, convert the electrical control signal into a second control signal for transmission over the non-conductive communication link, and transmit the second control signal to the converter over the non-conductive communication link.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the filter is a single filter, and wherein power is provided to the plurality of switching devices through the single filter.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the RF environment is a destructive RF environment that is capable of damaging electrical components exposed to the RF noise of the RF environment.

Assignees

• Applied Materials Inc

Inventors

• Criminale Phillip
• Babayan Steve E
• Edmonson Scott
• Sommer Phillip R
• Marohl Dan A
• Blank Chris

Classifications

• H02J2105/42

  Home appliances · CPC title

• H02J13/1335

  involving a local wireless network, e.g. Wi-Fi®, ZigBee® or Bluetooth® · CPC title

• H02J13/1331

  using wireless data transmission · CPC title

• H02J13/14

  the power network being locally controlled, e.g. home energy management systems [HEMS] · CPC title

• H02J13/1323 Primary

  using optical fibres · CPC title