Method and apparatus for electron beam treatment of surface layers

Abstract

Abstract A METHOD OF TREATMENT OF SURFACE LAYERS, MORE PARTICULARLY FOR SETTING VARNISH LAYERS, OF ARTICLES BY IRRADIATION WITH CHARGE CARRIER BEAMS, MORE PARTICULARLY ELECTRON BEAMS, IN WHICH THE ARTICLE IS INSERTED IN A WORKING CHAMBER MAINTAINED AT REDUCED PRESSURE AND A CHARGE CARRIER BEAM GENERATING FROM A BEAM SOURCE IS CONDUCTED ONLY THROUGH FREE APERTURES INTO THE WORKING CHAMBER AND THERE ON THE SURFACE LAYER TO BE TREATED, CHARACTERISED BY THE FEATURE THAT THE BEAM IS CONDUCTED SUCCESSIVELY THROUGH A PLURALITY OF INDEPENDENTLY CONTROLLABLE DEFLECTING FIELDS SPREAD AT LEAST OVER PART OF A CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE ARTICLE AND BY THESE CONDUCTED OVER PREDETERMINED CIRCUMFERENTIAL REGIONS OF THE ARTICLE, AND THAT THE DEFLECTING FIELDS, AND, IF REQUIRED, ALSO THE BEAM PARAMETERS OF THE BEAM, ARE CONTROLLED IN DEPENDENCE UPON THE FORM OF THE SURFACE TO BE TREATED AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE ABSORPTION OF BEAM ENERGY REQUIRED IN THE MOMENTARILY IRRADIATED REGION OF THE SURFACE LAYER. APPARATUS FOR THE TREATMENT OF SURFACE LAYERS OF ARTICLES BY IRRADIATION WITH CHARGE CARRIER BEAMS, COMPRISING AN EVACUATABLE WORKING CHAMBER FOR RECEIVING THE ARTICLE, A BEAM GENERATING SYSTEM WHICH IS PROVIDED WITH A BEAM CONTROL DEVICE FOR OPTIONALLY CONTROLLING THE BEAM PARAMETERS AND IS CONNECTED WITH THE WORKING CHAMBER VIA AN IRRADIATION PATH EXTENDING ONLY THROUGH EXPOSED APERTURES, AND A DEFLECTING DEVICE FOR PRODUCTING A CONTROLLABLE DEFLECTING FIELD IN THE ENTRY REGION OF THE WORKING CHAMBER WHERE A BEAM PRODUCED IN THE BEAM GENERATING SYSTEM ENTERS THE WORKING CHAMBER. CHARACTERISED BY THE FEATURE THAT AT LEAST ONE FURTHER DEFLECTING DEVICE IS ARRANGED IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF THE DEFLECTING DEVICE SO THAT THE BEAM ON LEAVING THE FIRST DEFLECTING DEVICE IS CONDUCTED THROUGH THE FURTHER DEFLECTING DEVICE WHERE IT MAY BE FURTHER DEFLECTED, AND THAT FOR CONTROLLING THE DEFLECTING DEVICES, A DEFECTION CONTROL DEVICE IS PROVIDED WHICH IS CONTROLLED FROM A MAIN CONTROL DEVICE IN DEPENDENCE UPON THE SHAPE OF THE SURFACE TO BE TREATED, PREFERABLY ACCORDING TO A PROGRAMME, SO THAT ACCORDING TO THE IRRADIATION REQUIREMENTS TO BE FULFILLED IN AN ARTICLE THERE IS A PREDETERMINED CONNECTION BETWEEN THE ADJUSTMENT OF THE DEFLECTION CONTROL DEVICE AND THE IRRADIATION CONDITIONS REQUIRED AT THIS POINT.

Inventors

• 👤 Karl-Heinz Steigerwald

Bibliographic Details