Sterilization apparatus utilizing sealing pouch and vacuum container

A sterilization apparatus comprising:

• a vacuum wrapper containing a target object, capable of maintaining vacuum state using an impermeable film, and comprising a connection member that provides a pathway for directly supplying and evacuating a sterilant;
• a vacuum container in which the vacuum wrapper is loaded;
• a sterilant providing part configured to inject the sterilant into the vacuum wrapper;
• a thermocompression device configured to thermocompress a portion of the vacuum wrapper adjacent to the connection member, after the evacuating of the sterilant is finished;
• a heater heating the vacuum wrapper for heating the target object;
• an alternating power current (AC) power source;
• and
• a controller configured to maintain a pressure of the vacuum container to a level higher than a pressure of the vacuum wrapper such that heat of the heater is more efficiently transferred to the target object,
• wherein the supplying of the sterilant and the evacuating of the sterilant are performed through a same pathway formed in the connection member,
• wherein the vacuum wrapper includes an upper film and a lower film, and the lower film includes a ground layer, a dielectric layer, and a conductive layer, which are sequentially stacked, and
• wherein the controller is further configured to control the AC power source to supply AC power between the ground layer and the conductive layer.