Triode plasma reactor with phase modulated plasma control
AssigneeConsortium for Surface Processing, Inc.
InventorsJohn Henry Thomas, III, Bawa Singh
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Abstract
A triode plasma reactor having first, second and third electrodes for forming a plasma in a reaction chamber from a reactant gas includes a phase modulated potential generator for generating time varying potentials on the second and third electrodes which are phase modulated versions of one another. The phase modulated versions may also include a fixed phase shift between them. By time varying the phase angle relative to a set phase shift, a new dimension of time varying control for the reactor may be obtained. Phase modulation at frequencies from audio frequencies to radio frequencies may be provided. Phase modulation may be accomplished digitally or in the analogue domain.
Claims25
A plasma reactor for processing a sample comprising:
- a reaction chamber for containing a sample;
- means for introducing a reactant into said chamber;
- first, second and third electrodes for forming a plasma in said chamber from the reactant introduced into said chamber, said first electrode being connected to a first potential;
- and
- phase modulated potential generating means for generating second and third time varying potentials on said second and third electrodes, respectively, said third potential being a phase modulated version of said second potential.
A method of processing a sample in a plasma reactor including first and second electrodes in a reaction chamber, comprising the steps of:
- introducing a reactant into the reaction chamber;
- generating first and second time varying potentials, with the second time varying potential being a phase modulated version of the first time varying potential;
- applying the first time varying potential to the first electrode;
- and
- applying the second time varying potential to the second electrode.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.