Plasma catalyst
AssigneeBTU International, Inc.
InventorsSatyendra Kumar, Devendra Kumar
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods and apparatus are provided for igniting, modulating, and sustaining a plasma for various plasma processes and treatments. In one embodiment, a plasma is ignited by subjecting a gas in a multi-mode processing cavity to electromagnetic radiation having a frequency between about 1 MHz and about 333 GHz in the presence of a plasma catalyst, which may be passive or active. A passive plasma catalyst may include, for example, any object capable of inducing a plasma by deforming a local electric field. An active plasma catalyst can include any particle or high energy wave packet capable of transferring a sufficient amount of energy to a gaseous atom or molecule to remove at least one electron from the gaseous atom or molecule, in the presence of electromagnetic radiation.
Claims25
A method of forming a plasma comprising:
- flowing a gas into a multimode processing cavity;
- and
- igniting the plasma by subjecting the gas in the cavity to electromagnetic radiation having a frequency less than about 333 GHz in the presence of a plurality of elongated, electrically conductive passive plasma catalysts, which are disposed at differing locations in a radiation chamber within the cavity, each of said plurality of passive plasma catalysts comprising a material that is at least electrically semi-conductive.
A method of forming a plasma comprising:
- igniting a plasma in a multi-mode chamber by subjecting a gas to electromagnetic radiation having a frequency less than about 333 GHz in the presence of a passive plasma catalyst comprising a powder;
- and
- introducing the powder into the chamber through a plurality of ignition ports that are disposed at differing locations in said chamber, to obtain a more uniform catalyst distribution.
A method of forming a plasma in a system, wherein the system has at least a first ignition cavity and a second cavity in fluid communication with the first cavity, the first cavity being smaller than the second cavity, the method comprising:
- subjecting a gas in the first ignition cavity to electromagnetic radiation having a frequency less than about 333 GHz in the presence of a passive plasma catalyst, such that the plasma in the first cavity causes a plasma to form in the second cavity;
- sustaining the second plasma by subjecting it to additional electromagnetic radiation,
- wherein the first cavity is substantially a single mode cavity and the second cavity is a multimode cavity.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.