Method of treating particles
AssigneeTexas Instruments Incorporated
InventorsMark D. Matthews, Louanne K. Brown
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Particles (10) contained in a mass of liquid etchant (12) and being wetted and etched thereby are moved into a mass of an inert, etching-terminating liquid (14) which abuts the etchant mass by overcoming surface tension forces exerted on the particles by the etchant at the interface (16,70) of the liquid masses. A vortex (24) of the inert liquid (14) is forced and in turn forces a conformal vortex (60) of the etchant (12) with the particles (10) therein. Turbulence at the interface (70) of the vortices (24,60) and vortex-generated centrifugal force on the particles (10) overcome the surface tension forces, and the particles move into the inert liquid (14).
Claims20
A method of separating at least one particle from a first liquid, the particle being denser than and being wetted by the first liquid, the method comprising:
- forming a forced vortex of a second liquid which is denser than the first liquid, the liquids being insoluble in each other;
- and
- forming a forced vortex of the first particle-containing liquid by contacting the interior of the second liquid vortex with the first liquid, agitation at the interface of the vortices and the centrifugal force exerted on the particle by the vortices breaking the surface tension between the wetted particle and the first liquid and moving the particle into the second liquid.
A method of separating a particle from a liquid etchant, the particle being denser than and being wetted by the etchant, the method comprising:
- forming a forced vortex of a liquid which is inert relative to the particle and which is denser than the etchant, the liquid and the particle-containing etchant being insoluble in each other,
- forming a forced vortex of the etchant by contacting the interior of the inert liquid vortex with the etchant, agitation at the interface of the vortices and the centrifugal force exerted on the particle by the vortices breaking the surface tension between the wetted particle and the etchant and moving the particle into the inert liquid to terminate etching of the particle,
- transporting a quantity of the inert liquid with the particle therein from the vicinity of the apex of the inert liquid vortex to a particle-retrieval region, and
- separating the particle from the inert liquid at the particle-retrieving region.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.