Toroidal low-field reactive gas source

A method for dissociating gases in a plasma comprising:

• confining a gas in a plasma chamber;
• electrically isolating a region of the plasma chamber using at least one dielectric spacer to prevent induced current flow from forming in the plasma chamber itself;
• providing a transformer having a primary winding and having a magnetic core surrounding a portion of the plasma chamber;
• inducing an AC potential inside the plasma chamber by supplying an AC current generated by a solid state AC switching power supply, without requiring the use a conventional impedance matching network, to the primary winding of the transformer;
• forming a toroidal plasma in the plasma chamber that completes a secondary circuit of the transformer and dissociates the gas;
• and
• protecting the at least one dielectric spacer from the plasma by a protruded plasma chamber wall.

A plasma chamber for use with a reactive gas source comprising:

• an inlet for receiving a gas,
• one or more chamber walls for containing the gas, the chamber walls comprising at least one of a metallic material, coated metallic material and dielectric material;
• and
• at least one dielectric spacer that electrically isolates a region of the plasma chamber to prevent induced current flow from forming in the plasma chamber itself, the at least one dielectric spacer being protected from a plasma formed in the plasma chamber by a protrusion on the plasma chamber wall.

A reactive gas source for dissociating gases in a toroidal plasma comprising:

• a plasma chamber comprising a gas, the plasma chamber having at least one dielectric spacer that electrically isolates a region of the plasma chamber to prevent induced current flow from forming in the plasma chamber itself, the at least one dielectric spacer being protected from the plasma by a protrusion in the plasma chamber;
• a gas inlet for providing the gas to the plasma chamber;
• a transformer having a primary winding and having a magnetic core surrounding a portion of the plasma chamber;
• a solid state AC switching power supply comprising one or more switching semiconductor devices and having an output coupled to the primary winding without requiring the use of a conventional impedance matching network, the AC switching power supply supplying an AC current to the primary winding without requiring the use of the conventional impedance matching network, the AC current inducing an AC potential inside the plasma chamber that forms the toroidal plasma that completes a secondary circuit of the transformer and dissociates the gas.

A method for dissociating gases in a plasma comprising:

• confining a gas in a plasma chamber;
• electrically isolating a region of the plasma chamber using at least one dielectric spacer, to prevent induced current flow from forming in the plasma chamber itself;
• providing a transformer having a primary winding and having a magnetic core surrounding a portion of the plasma chamber;
• inducing an AC potential inside the plasma chamber by supplying an AC current generated by a solid state AC switching power supply, without requiring the use a conventional impedance matching network, to the primary winding of the transformer;
• forming a toroidal plasma in the plasma chamber that completes a secondary circuit of the transformer and dissociates the gas;
• and
• protecting the at least one dielectric spacer from the plasma by a protrusion in the plasma chamber.