Method for producing a plurality of filaments in a radio frequency reactor

Claim 2

A PROCESS FOR SIMULTANEOUSLY PRODUCING A PLURALITY OF FILAMENTS USING A SINGLE ELECTRICAL HEATING UNIT BY VAPOR DEPOSITING MATERIAL FROM A MATERIAL CONTAINING DECOMPOSABLE GAS ONTO A PLURALITY OF MOVING WIRES HEATED BY ELECTRICAL POWER DISSIPATION THEREIN WHEREIN THE IMPEDANCE OF THE WIRE CHANGES DURING DEPOSITION, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: PASSING SAID WIRES THROUGH A SINGLE COAXIAL CAVITY COUPLER MEANS TO ELECTROMAGNETICALLY COUPLE SAID WIRES TO RADIO FREQUENCY SOURCE MEANS THEREBY EXPOSING SAID WIRES TO AN AXIALLY OSCILLATING ELECTRIC FIELD HAVING A DENSITY SUFFICIENTLY HIGH TO HEAT THE WIRES AND CAUSE DEPOSITION OF SAID MATERIAL THEREON, SAID COUPLER MEANS INCLUDING WALL MEANS FORMING A CHANNEL ALIGNED WITH THE AXIS OF SAID WIRES; POSITIONING EACH OF SAID WIRES WITHIN SAID CHANNEL AT THE SAME NOMINAL DISTANCE FROM ADJACENT AFFECTING WALLS OF SAID CHANNEL, AND; MAINTAINING THE POSITION OF EACH WIRE WITHIN 2 PERCENT OF SAID NOMINAL DISTANCE FROM SAID AFFECTING WALLS.

Claim 3

A process for simultaneously producing a plurality of filaments using a single electrical heating unit by vapor depositing material from a material containing decomposable gas onto a plurality of moving wires heated by electrical power dissipation therein wherein the impedance of the wire changes during deposition, comprising the steps of: passing said wires through a single coaxial cavity coupler means to electromagnetically couple said wires to radio frequency source means thereby exposing said wires to an axially oscillating electric field having a density sufficiently high to heat the wires and cause deposition of said material thereon, said coupler means including wall means forming a channel aligned with the axis of said wires; positioning each of said wires within said channel at the same nominal distance from adjacent affecting walls of said channel, and; maintaining the position of each wire within 2 percent of said nominal distance from said affecting walls.

Claim 4

A process for simultaneously producing a plurality of filaments using a single electrical heating unit by vapor depositing material from a material containing decomposable gas onto a plurality of moving wires heated by electrical power dissipation therein wherein the impedance of the wire changes during deposition, comprising the steps of: passing said wires through a single coaxial cavity coupler means to electromagnetically couple said wires to radio frequency source means thereby exposing said wires to an axially oscillating electric field having a density sufficiently high to heat the wires and cause deposition of said material thereon, said coupler means including wall means forming a channel aligned with the axis of said wires; positioning each of said wires within said channel at the same nominal distance from adjacent affecting walls of said channel, and; maintaining the position of each wire within 2 percent of said nominal distance from said affecting walls.

Claim 5

The process according to claim 1 including the step of spacing said wires from each other such that the power induced in each wire by adjacent wires is less than 5 percent of the total power in said wire.

Claim 6

The process according to claim 2 wherein the step of spacing said wires includes locating each wire equidistant from adjacent wires.

Claim 7

The process according to claim 3 wherein the step of maintaining the position of each wire includes maintaining constant and equal tension on each of said wires to minimize vibration of the wires.

Claim 8

The process according to claim 3 including the step of enclosing each of said wires within its own individual reaction chamber.

Claim 9

The process according to claim 5 including the step of varying the gas flows within said individual reaction chambers to compensate for uncontrollable variations in the deposition buildup on each wire.

Claim 10

The process according to claim 1 wherein said affecting walls include spaced apart parallel wall surfaces, and the step of positioning said wires includes locating each wire equidistant from each of said surfaces.

Claim 11

A process for simultaneously producing a plurality of filaments using a single electrical heating unit by vapor depositing material from a material containing decomposable gas onto a plurality of moving wires heated by electrical power dissipation therein wherein the impedance of the wire changes during deposition, comprising the steps of: passing said wires through a single coaxial cavity coupler means to electromagnetically couple said wires to radio frequency source means thereby exposing said wires to an axially oscillating electric field having a density sufficiently high to heat the wires and cause deposition of said material thereon, said coupler means including wall means forming a channel aligned with the axis of said wires, said wall means including spaced apart parallel wall surfaces; enclosing each of said wires within its own individual reaction chamber within said coaxial cavity coupler; maintaining constant and equal tension on each of said wires; positioning each of said wires equidistant from adjacent wires; and positioning each of said wires equidistant from each of said wall surfaces.

Claim 12

A process for simultaneously producing a plurality of filaments using a single electrical heating unit by vapor depositing material from a material containing decomposable gas onto a plurality of moving wires heated by electrical power dissipation therein wherein the impedance of the wire changes during deposition, comprising the steps of: passing said wires through a single coaxial cavity coupler means to electromagnetically couple said wires to radio frequency source means thereby exposing said wires to an axially oscillating electric field having a density sufficiently high to heat the wires and cause deposition of said material thereon, said coupler means including wall means forming a channel aligned with the axis of said wires, said wall means including spaced apart parallel wall surfaces; enclosing each of said wires within its own individual reaction chamber within said coaxial cavity coupler; maintaining constant and equal tension on each of said wires; positioning each of said wires equidistant from adjacent wires; and positioning each of said wires equidistant from each of said wall surfaces.

Claim 13

The process according to claim 8 wherein said wires are positioned a nominal distance N from each of said wall surfaces including the step of maintaining the position of each wire within two percent of N from said wall surfaces.