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US 2013/0340940 A1Published application
Rf feed line
AssigneeTel Solar AG
InventorsPeter HEISS, Werner WIELAND, Andreas BELINGER, Stefan RHYNER
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
This disclosure relates to a flexible triplate stripline that can operate in temperatures of 150 C-250 C, flexible to move up/down with the top of a plasma reactor, and prevent plasma generation near the power transmission line in the stripline. The transmission line may be exposed to ambient conditions. The risk of generating plasma near the transmission line may be minimized by optimizing the height and width of the air gap adjacent to the transmission line and decreasing the voltage in a portion of the stripline by widening the transmission line.
Claims20
A radio frequency (RF) power transmission line, comprising:
- a first end portion configured to be coupled to an output of a RF generator;
- a second end portion configured to be coupled to a plasma reactor housed within in a vacuum chamber;
- a first outer conductive layer comprising:
- a first thickness;
- and
- a first width that is greater than the first thickness;
- a second outer conductive layer comprising:
- a second thickness;
- and
- a second width that is greater than the second thickness;
- an inner conductive layer that is disposed between the first outer conductive layer and the second outer conducting layer, the inner conductive layer comprising:
- a third thickness;
- and
- a third width that is less than the first width or the second width;
- a first dielectric layer disposed between the first outer conductive layer and the inner conductive layer, and comprising:
- a fourth thickness that separates the first outer conductive layer and the inner conductive layer;
- and
- a fourth width that is greater than the fourth thickness;
- a second dielectric layer disposed between the second outer layer and the inner conductive layer, and comprising:
- a fifth thickness that separates the second outer conductive layer and the inner conductive layer;
- a fifth width that is greater than the fifth thickness;
- a first gap disposed between the first and second dielectric layer and adjacent to a first side of the inner conductive layer, and comprising a sixth thickness that is approximate to the third thickness;
- and
- a second gap disposed between the first and second dielectric layer and adjacent to a second side of the inner conductive layer, and comprising a seventh thickness that is approximate to the third thickness.
21 more elements
A system comprising:
- a vacuum chamber;
- a plasma reactor housed within the vacuum chamber, the plasma reactor comprising:
- a plasma generating element for generating plasma;
- and
- a processing chuck configured to handle a substrate of at least 1 m in width or length;
- a Radio Frequency (RF) transmission line comprising:
- a first end configured to be coupled to an output of a RF generator outside the vacuum chamber;
- a second end configured to be coupled to said plasma generating element;
- a first outer conductive layer comprising a first thickness and a first width;
- a second outer conductive layer comprising a second thickness and a second width;
- an inner conductive layer that is disposed between the first outer conducting layer and the second outer conducting layer, the inner conductive layer comprising:
- a third thickness;
- and
- a third width that is less than the first width or the second width;
- a first dielectric layer disposed between the first outer conductive layer and the inner conductive layer, and comprising a fourth thickness that separates the first outer conductive layer and the inner conductive layer;
- a second dielectric layer disposed between the second outer layer and the inner conductive layer, and comprising a fifth thickness that separates the second outer conductive layer and the inner conductive layer;
- a first gap disposed between the first and second dielectric layer and adjacent to a first side of the inner conductive layer;
- and
- a second gap disposed between the first and second dielectric layer and adjacent to a second side of the inner conductive layer.
16 more elements
A radio frequency (RF) transmission line, comprising:
- a first end comprising a chamber connector that can be coupled to a plasma chamber;
- a second end comprising an input connector that can be coupled to a Radio Frequency (RF) matching system;
- two outer conductive strips that are coupled electrically to each other and that extend at least between the first end and the second end;
- two non-conductive strips disposed between the two or more outer conductive strips and that extend at least between the first end and the second end;
- a transmission strip that enables electrical communication between the chamber connector and the input connector, the one or more transmission strips being electrically isolated from the two or more conductive strips by the two non-conductive strips;
- and
- at least one gap between at least two of the non-conductive strips, the at least one gap being adjacent to the transmission strip and the at least one gap comprising a thickness that is substantially similar to a thickness of the at least one transmission strip.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.