Method for treating a surface with a microwave or UHF plasma and improved apparatus

Claim 1

A method for treating a surface which comprises: (a) providing an ion generating apparatus including a plasma source employing a radio frequency, including UHF or microwave, wave coupler, which is metallic and in the shape of a hollow cavity and which is excited in one or more of its TE or TM modes of resonance and optionally including a static magnetic field surrounding the plasma source which aids in coupling at electron cyclotron resonance and aids in confining the ions in the coupler, wherein the plasma is maintained at a reduced pressure in operation, wherein the ion generating apparatus further includes an electrically insulated chamber (15) having a central longitudinal axis and mounted in closely spaced relationship to an area (16) of the coupler further includes a gas supply means (18,19) for providing a gas which is ionized to form the plasma in the insulated chamber, wherein the radio frequency wave applied to the coupler creates and then maintains the plasma in the shape of an elongate, thin plasma disk perpendicular to and surrounding the central axis in the chamber with a surface to be treated in position to receive the ions, further includes a movable metal plate means (12) in the hollow cavity mounted perpendicular to the axis and movable towards and away from the plasma disk, and further including a movable probe (14) connected to and extending inside the coupler for coupling the radio frequency waves to the coupler, wherein movement of the plate means and the probe in the coupler achieves a selected TE or TM mode of resonance of the radio frequency wave in the coupler and varies the resonance of the mode in order to treat the surface; (b) forming the plasma disk in the chamber; and (c) contacting the surface with the ions or free radicals inside the plasma or with ions or neutralized ions removed from the plasma which treat the surface.

Claim 2

A method for treating a surface which comprises: (a) providing an ion generating apparatus including a plasma source employing a radio frequency, including UHF or microwave, wave coupler, which is metallic and in the shape of a hollow cavity and which is excited in one or more of its TE or TM modes of resonance and optionally including a static magnetic field surrounding the plasma source which aids in coupling at electron cyclotron resonance and aids in confining the ions in the coupler, wherein the plasma is maintained at a reduced pressure in operation, wherein the ion generating apparatus further includes an electrically insulated chamber (15) having a central longitudinal axis and mounted in closely spaced relationship to an area (16) of the coupler further includes a gas supply means (18,19) for providing a gas which is ionized to form the plasma in the insulated chamber, wherein the radio frequency wave applied to the coupler creates and then maintains the plasma in the shape of an elongate, thin plasma disk perpendicular to and surrounding the central axis in the chamber with a surface to be treated in position to receive the ions, further includes a movable metal plate means (12) in the hollow cavity mounted perpendicular to the axis and movable towards and away from the plasma disk, and further including a movable probe (14) connected to and extending inside the coupler for coupling the radio frequency waves to the coupler, wherein movement of the plate means and the probe in the coupler achieves a selected TE or TM mode of resonance of the radio frequency wave in the coupler and varies the resonance of the mode in order to treat the surface; (b) forming the plasma disk in the chamber; and (c) contacting the surface with the ions or free radicals inside the plasma or with ions or neutralized ions removed from the plasma which treat the surface.

Claim 5

A method for treating a surface which comprises: (a) providing an ion generating apparatus, including a plasma source employing a radio frequency, including UHF and microwave, wave coupler which is metallic and in the shape of a hollow cavity and which is excited in one or more of its TE or TM modes of resonance and optionally including a static magnetic field surrounding the plasma source which aids in a coupling at electron cyclotron resonance and aids in confining the ions in the coupler, wherein the plasma in maintained at a reduced pressure in operation, wherein the ion source apparatus further includes an electrically insulated chamber (15) having a central longitudinal axis and mounted in closely spaced relationship to an area (16) of the coupler further includes a gas supply means (18,19) for providing a gas which is ionized to form the plasma in the insulated chamber, wherein the radio frequency wave applied to the coupler creates and then maintains the plasma in the shape of an elongate, thin plasma disk perpendicular to and surrounding the central axis in the chamber with a surface to be treated in position to receive the ions, further includes a movable metal plate means (12) in the hollow cavity mounted perpendicular to the axis and movable towards and away from the plasma disk, and further includes a movable probe (14) connected to and extending inside the coupler for coupling the radio frequency waves to the coupler, wherein movement of the plate means and the probe in the coupler achieves a selected TE or TM mode of resonance of the radio frequency wave in the coupler and varies the resonance of the mode in order to treat the surface; (b) forming the plasma disk in the chamber; and (c) attracting the ions to the surface with bias means having a suitable voltage potential attached to the surface so as to treat the surface with the ions.

Claim 6

A method for treating a surface which comprises: (a) providing an ion generating apparatus, including a plasma source employing a radio frequency, including UHF and microwave, wave coupler which is metallic and in the shape of a hollow cavity and which is excited in one or more of its TE or TM modes of resonance and optionally including a static magnetic field surrounding the plasma source which aids in a coupling at electron cyclotron resonance and aids in confining the ions in the coupler, wherein the plasma in maintained at a reduced pressure in operation, wherein the ion source apparatus further includes an electrically insulated chamber (15) having a central longitudinal axis and mounted in closely spaced relationship to an area (16) of the coupler further includes a gas supply means (18,19) for providing a gas which is ionized to form the plasma in the insulated chamber, wherein the radio frequency wave applied to the coupler creates and then maintains the plasma in the shape of an elongate, thin plasma disk perpendicular to and surrounding the central axis in the chamber with a surface to be treated in position to receive the ions, further includes a movable metal plate means (12) in the hollow cavity mounted perpendicular to the axis and movable towards and away from the plasma disk, and further includes a movable probe (14) connected to and extending inside the coupler for coupling the radio frequency waves to the coupler, wherein movement of the plate means and the probe in the coupler achieves a selected TE or TM mode of resonance of the radio frequency wave in the coupler and varies the resonance of the mode in order to treat the surface; (b) forming the plasma disk in the chamber; and (c) attracting the ions to the surface with bias means having a suitable voltage potential attached to the surface so as to treat the surface with the ions.