Solid state microwave generating array material, each element of which is phase controllable, and plasma processing systems

Abstract

Abstract A solid state microwave generator energized phased antenna (10) array is utilized as the excitation source for material/plasma processes. Each antenna element (10) of the array is driven by a separate solid state microwave power source. Very close and precise control of each solid state generator's phase and amplitude is provided to control the amplitude of the composite power node, and electromagnetic field distribution produced by the array which control is not readily possible with vacuum tube devices and systems such as microwave oven magnetrons. Utilizing the concepts of the invention the total power generated by the system may be easily controlled. The phase of the individual elements may be used to control the location of the power node of the plasma within a reaction chamber (12) and to move said power node within the chamber (12) with no mechanical movement or physical alteration of the processing apparatus. Because of the degree of control possible within the overall processes system of the invention plasma processing methods may be performed which were not previously practical because a high power density plasma can be concentrated at any desired location in the reaction chamber (12) or scanned across a desired region. These control features are lacking in currently available vacuum tube microwave devices. It is also probable that the overall cost of such a solid state based microwave power generators systems will be far less than that of comparable tube type microwave generators especially as fabrication and control technology progresses.

Inventors

• 👤 Jerome J. Cuomo
• 👤 Charles R. Guarnieri
• 👤 Stanley J. Whitehair

Bibliographic Details