Electric pulse output control circuit and electrodeless Z pinch device

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of photoetching, in particular to an electric pulse output control circuit and an electrodeless Z pinch device.The electric pulse output control circuit comprises a power supply circuit and at least two parallel magnetic pulse compression circuits, wherein the input ends of the magnetic pulse compression circuits are coupled to the output end of the power supply circuit; the power supply circuit inputs pulse current into the different magnetic pulse compression circuits at the same time, and controls the charging time and inductance parameters of each magnetic pulse compression circuit so as to generate and output pulse current with the same repetition frequency and different pulse intervals in the different magnetic pulse compression circuits; the output ends of the magnetic pulse compression circuits connected in parallel converge pulse current released after compression of the magnetic pulse compression circuits to the same path so as to generate and output electric pulses with repetition frequency in positive correlation with the number of the magnetic pulse compression circuits. Pulse current generated by the magnetic pulse compression circuit can be superposed, and electric pulse with high repetition frequency is obtained at the same pulse interval; discharge control with demand delay is achieved at different pulse intervals.

Description

Technical field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of photolithography technology, and in particular to an electric pulse output control circuit and an electrodeless Z-pinch device. [Background Technology]

[0002] With the advancement of lithography, EUV has become a consensus in the semiconductor industry. As a potential EUV generation mechanism, the electrodeless Z-pinch method for generating extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation reduces discharge device requirements compared to other EUV generation mechanisms and offers high spatial and temporal stability. Furthermore, the light source is compact, simple in structure, highly efficient, has low investment and operating costs, and is easy to operate and maintain.

[0003] However, compared to EUV generated by laser-produced plasma (LPP), the electrodeless Z-pinch achieves higher single-pulse energy than LPP, but its EUV output power is lower. This is primarily due to the Z-pinch's reliance on electrical pulses for energy input, which have a repetition rate far lower than that of laser pulses. Therefore, increasing the repetition rate of electrical pulses significantly impacts the efficiency of Z-pinch EUV generation. [Summary of the invention]

[0004] In order to increase the repetition frequency of electric pulses, the present invention provides an electric pulse output control circuit and an electrodeless Z-pinch device.

[0005] The solution to the technical problem of the present invention is to provide an electric pulse output control circuit, including a power supply circuit and at least two magnetic pulse compression circuits whose input ends are coupled to the output ends of the power supply circuit. The power supply circuit simultaneously inputs pulse currents into different magnetic pulse compression circuits, and the different magnetic pulse compression circuits are connected in parallel. The charging time and inductance parameters of each magnetic pulse compression circuit are controlled to generate and output pulse currents with the same repetition frequency and different pulse intervals in different magnetic pulse compression circuits; the output ends of the parallel magnetic pulse compression circuits merge the pulse currents released after compression by each magnetic pulse compression circuit into the same path to generate and output electric pulses with a repetition frequency that is positively correlated with the number of the magnetic pulse compression circuits.

[0006] Preferably, the power supply circuit includes a DC power supply, a charging capacitor and a switch: the DC power supply provides DC power, the charging capacitor is connected in parallel with the switch, when the switch is disconnected, the DC power supply charges the charging capacitor, and when the switch is closed, the DC power supply current returns from the positive pole to the negative pole; the switch is a high-speed switch, which controls on and off to convert DC power into multiple pulse currents.

[0007] Preferably, each of the magnetic pulse compression circuits can release leakage current to the outside.

[0008] Preferably, each of the magnetic pulse compression circuits is coupled to the power supply circuit via a transformer, and the transformers are all pulse transformers.

[0009] Preferably, each of the magnetic pulse compression circuits comprises at least two stages of magnetic pulse compression networks;

[0010] The magnetic pulse compression network includes a compression capacitor and a magnetic switch connected in series. In each level of the magnetic pulse compression network, the compression capacitor stores pulse current over time. The magnetic switch has a saturated inductance when the compression capacitor is saturated. The saturated inductance changes inversely with the storage amount of the pulse current to turn on the magnetic pulse compression network of that level, allowing the stored pulse current to flow to the magnetic pulse compression network of the next level.

[0011] Preferably, the magnetic switch has a non-saturated inductance when the compression capacitor in the same level of magnetic pulse compression network is not saturated: the first magnetic pulse compression network and the second magnetic pulse compression network in at least two levels of magnetic pulse compression networks are connected in series, and current flows through the first magnetic pulse compression network and the second magnetic pulse compression network in sequence; the saturation inductance of the magnetic switch in the first magnetic pulse compression network is greater than the saturation inductance of the magnetic switch in the second magnetic pulse compression network.

[0012] Preferably, the saturation inductance of the magnetic switch in the first magnetic pulse compression network is 10-100 times the saturation inductance of the magnetic switch in the second magnetic pulse compression network, and in the same-level magnetic pulse compression network, the unsaturated inductance of the magnetic switch is 800-1200 times the saturation inductance.

[0013] Preferably, the inductance of the magnetic switch can be changed, and the calculation formula is:

[0014] Where n is the number of magnetic switches, L' n is the saturation inductance corresponding to the nth magnetic switch, u0 is the vacuum permeability, u s is the saturation permeability, N is the number of winding turns of the core, r0 is the outer diameter of the annular core, r i is the inner diameter of the toroidal core, h is the height of the magnetic ring, and Δr is the radius of the wire.

[0015] Preferably, the peak output current of each magnetic pulse compression circuit is 4000A-8000A, the pulse width is 200ns-600ns, and the repetition frequency is 1Hz-2kHz. The peak current passed into the load after merging is 4000A-8000A, the pulse width is 200ns-600ns, and the repetition frequency is mHz-2mkHz, where m is the number of magnetic pulse compression circuits connected in parallel.

[0016] To solve the above technical problems, the present invention further provides an electrodeless Z-pinch device, comprising the above-mentioned electric pulse output control circuit.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the electric pulse output control circuit and the electrodeless Z pinch device of the present invention have the following advantages:

[0018] 1. The electric pulse output control circuit of the present invention includes a power supply circuit and at least two magnetic pulse compression circuits whose input ends are coupled to the output ends of the power supply circuit. The power supply circuit simultaneously inputs pulse currents into different magnetic pulse compression circuits. The different magnetic pulse compression circuits are connected in parallel. The charging time and inductance parameters of each magnetic pulse compression circuit are controlled to generate and output pulse currents with the same repetition frequency and different pulse intervals in different magnetic pulse compression circuits. The output ends of the parallel magnetic pulse compression circuits merge the pulse currents released after compression by each magnetic pulse compression circuit into the same path to generate and output electric pulses with a repetition frequency that is positively correlated with the number of magnetic pulse compression circuits. Through this method, the pulse current output by the power supply circuit can be simultaneously input into different magnetic pulse compression circuits for compression. The output end of the magnetic pulse compression circuit merges the pulse current released after compression into the same electric pulse. Among them, the superposition of electric pulses with the same repetition frequency and different delay times can realize the superposition of different electric pulses on the time scale to increase the repetition frequency, thereby obtaining electric pulses with a high repetition frequency; the superposition of electric pulses with the same repetition frequency and the same delay time can realize the superposition of different electric pulses at the same time point to increase the pulse peak value, thereby obtaining high-energy electric pulses to meet usage requirements.

[0019] 2. The electric pulse output control circuit of the present invention comprises a power supply circuit comprising a DC power supply, a charging capacitor, and a switch. The DC power supply provides DC power, and the charging capacitor is connected in parallel with the switch. When the switch is open, the DC power supply charges the charging capacitor, and when the switch is closed, the DC power supply current flows from the positive electrode back to the negative electrode. The switch is a high-speed switch that is controlled on and off to convert the DC power into multiple pulse currents. By providing a high-speed switch and controlling its on and off, multiple current pulses with a desired repetition frequency are generated.

[0020] 3. In the electric pulse output control circuit of the present invention, each magnetic pulse compression circuit can release leakage current. Electrodeless pinch devices typically use leakage current to pre-ionize the ionized material to form a low-valence plasma. This method can directly capture and release leakage current, making the process simpler and more convenient to use.

[0021] 4. In the electric pulse output control circuit of the present invention, each magnetic pulse compression circuit is coupled to the power supply circuit via a transformer, and the transformers are all pulse transformers. Since each magnetic pulse compression circuit includes at least two stages of magnetic pulse compression networks, different magnetic pulse compression networks will not show simple linear changes when compressing the pulse current. The pulse transformer is a wide-band transformer, and as long as the current pulse waveform can meet the design requirements, the magnetic core of the pulse transformer can also work in the nonlinear region. Therefore, its appearance can be made much smaller than that of a conventional communication transformer. In addition, the transmission loss of a pulse transformer is generally relatively smaller than that of a transformer. In this way, while meeting the working requirements, the overall volume of the electric pulse output control circuit is reduced, the transmission loss is reduced, and the power is increased.

[0022] 5. In the electric pulse output control circuit of the present invention, the magnetic switch has a non-saturated inductance when the compression capacitor in the same-stage magnetic pulse compression network is not saturated. In at least two-stage magnetic pulse compression networks, the first and second magnetic pulse compression networks are connected in series, and current flows through the first and second magnetic pulse compression networks in sequence. The saturation inductance of the magnetic switch in the first magnetic pulse compression network is greater than the saturation inductance of the magnetic switch in the second magnetic pulse compression network. In the same magnetic pulse compression circuit, current first flows through the first magnetic pulse compression network. When the charging capacitor of the magnetic switch in the magnetic pulse compression network is saturated during the charging process, the magnetic switch is saturated, the saturation inductance value decreases sharply, and the current stored in the capacitor flows smoothly through the magnetic switch to the second magnetic pulse compression network. The capacitor charging process is repeated in the second magnetic pulse compression network, thereby achieving step-by-step compression of the pulse current by different magnetic pulse compression circuits.

[0023] 6. The present invention also provides an electrodeless Z-pinch device, which has the same beneficial effects as the above-mentioned electric pulse output control circuit, and will not be described in detail here.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0024] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0025] Figure 1 This is a connection diagram of an electric pulse output control circuit provided by the first embodiment of the present invention, which only includes a single magnetic pulse compression circuit.

[0026] Figure 2 This is a connection diagram of a multi-stage magnetic pulse compression circuit of an electric pulse output control circuit provided by the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 3 This is a modified diagram of an electric pulse output control circuit including a multi-stage magnetic pulse compression circuit provided by the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of high-frequency pulses generated by a multi-stage magnetic pulse compression circuit in an electric pulse output control circuit provided by the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 5 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an electrodeless Z-pinch device provided in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the EUV light source structure of an electrodeless Z pinch device provided by the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Description of the accompanying drawings:

[0032] 1. Electric pulse output control circuit; 2. Electrodeless Z pinch device;

[0033] 11. Power supply circuit; 12. Magnetic pulse compression circuit; 21. Working element;

[0034] 121. Magnetic pulse compression network. [Specific implementation method]

[0035] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and implementation examples. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0036] See also Figure 1 A first embodiment of the present invention provides an electric pulse output control circuit 1, comprising a power supply circuit 11 and at least two magnetic pulse compression circuits 12 whose input terminals are coupled to output terminals of the power supply circuit 11. The power supply circuit 11 simultaneously inputs pulse currents into different magnetic pulse compression circuits 12, and the different magnetic pulse compression circuits 12 are connected in parallel. By controlling the charging time and inductance parameters of each magnetic pulse compression circuit 12, pulse currents having the same repetition frequency and different pulse intervals are generated and output in the different magnetic pulse compression circuits 12.

[0037] The output ends of the parallel magnetic pulse compression circuits 12 combine the pulse currents released after compression by each magnetic pulse compression circuit 12 into the same path to generate and output electrical pulses with a repetition frequency that is positively correlated with the number of magnetic pulse compression circuits 12 .

[0038] It should be noted that the energy input of the electrodeless Z-pinch depends on the electric pulse. The electric field stored by the magnetic pulse compression circuit 12 compresses the pulse current and is used to quickly discharge the electrodeless Z-pinch, thereby quickly ionizing the material to be ionized, so that the material to be ionized ultimately generates extreme ultraviolet radiation.

[0039] The magnetic field energy stored in the compressed pulse current of the magnetic pulse compression circuit 12 provides a strong and stable magnetic field for the plasma generated by the ionized material to be ionized, thereby causing the plasma to move in a directional manner to form a plasma ring, and ultimately generate extreme ultraviolet radiation light;

[0040] Specifically, the charging is performed through the inductor and the capacitor. When the electric pulse output control circuit 1 does not need to output energy, the magnetic pulse compression circuit 12 continuously compresses the pulse current output by the power supply circuit 11, that is, the electric pulse, and stores the current as electric field or magnetic field energy at a lower power.

[0041] The magnetic switch MS is turned on during the half-cycle of charging of the compression capacitor MC. When turned on, the inductance of the magnetic switch MS is extremely small, so the electric pulse is quickly released outward in a very short time, thereby meeting a higher supply energy demand.

[0042] It should be noted that, since the saturation inductance of the magnetic switch MS itself is much smaller than the charging inductance, the comparison result is that the magnetic pulse compression circuit 12 slowly compresses the electric pulse for charging and quickly releases it to meet energy needs.

[0043] In addition, when using a multi-stage magnetic pulse compression circuit 12 to compress and charge the pulse current, by controlling the charging time of each magnetic pulse compression circuit 12, the current pulse delay time between each stage of the magnetic pulse compression circuit 12 can be achieved, thereby facilitating the superposition of the pulse current.

[0044] It should be noted that the superposition of electric pulses with the same repetition frequency but different delay times can achieve the superposition of different electric pulses on a time scale to increase the repetition frequency, thereby obtaining electric pulses with a high repetition frequency;

[0045] The superposition of electric pulses with the same repetition frequency and delay time can achieve the superposition of different electric pulses at the same time point to increase the pulse peak value, thereby obtaining high-energy electric pulses to meet usage requirements.

[0046] It can be understood that through this method, the pulse current output by the power supply circuit 11 can be simultaneously input into different magnetic pulse compression circuits 12 for compression, and the output end of the magnetic pulse compression circuit 12 merges the pulse current released after compression into the same electric pulse and outputs it to meet usage requirements.

[0047] Specifically, in the embodiment of the present invention, it is only necessary to use the magnetic pulse compression circuit 12 to compress and release the electric pulses generated by the power supply circuit 11 at the same repetition frequency to increase the repetition frequency of the output electric pulses, that is, to provide energy of sufficient intensity. However, the use of the electrodeless Z-pinch requires not only electric pulses with a high repetition frequency, but also energy output for a certain period of time, so that the low-valent ion groups of the substance to be ionized can be completely ionized into high-valent ion groups, thereby pinching and then radiating extreme ultraviolet light outward;

[0048] Therefore, the pulse currents with different pulse intervals generated by different magnetic pulse compression circuits 12 can be superimposed on each other, thereby satisfying the energy output time period, providing energy of sufficient intensity, and ensuring that the energy supply time also meets the requirements.

[0049] Furthermore, the power supply circuit 11 includes a DC power supply DC, a charging capacitor C and a switch S:

[0050] The DC power supply DC provides DC power, and the charging capacitor C is connected in parallel with the switch S. When the switch S is disconnected, the DC power supply DC charges the charging capacitor C. When the switch S is closed, the DC power supply DC current returns from the positive electrode to the negative electrode.

[0051] Switch S is a high-speed switch that generates a current pulse each time it is turned on and off. Under continuous high-speed on-off conditions, current pulses are continuously generated. By adjusting the on-off frequency (the number of switching operations per second) and duty cycle (the proportion of time the switch is in the closed state) of switch S, current pulses of different amplitudes and widths can be generated. Thus, controlling the on-off of switch S can generate multiple current pulses and simultaneously achieve pulse width modulation.

[0052] It is understandable that the alternating current needs to be rectified. In the specific embodiment of the present invention, the charging capacitor C is charged in the form of direct current, and the direct current is converted into a pulse current through a high-speed switch S.

[0053] Optionally, the driving voltage of the DC power supply DC is 220V-530V.

[0054] Specifically, in a specific embodiment of the present invention, the driving voltage of the direct current power supply DC is 220V, and the switch S is an IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor) high-speed switch.

[0055] It should be noted that the electrodeless Z-pinch operates as follows: the power system generates high-frequency pulses, which are supplied to the material to be ionized via a coupling unit. This energy generates a plasma mass, which is then influenced by an external magnetic field within the vacuum chamber to form a plasma circuit. The plasma circuit itself generates a magnetic field, and the plasma mass radially pinches under the influence of its own magnetic field, intensifying collisions between plasma particles and producing high-valence ion clusters of the material to be ionized. Ultimately, the low-valence plasma transitions to a high-valence state, emitting extreme ultraviolet light.

[0056] The function of an IGBT switch is to form a channel by applying a positive gate voltage, supplying base current to the PNP transistor and turning the IGBT on. Conversely, applying a reverse gate voltage eliminates the channel, cutting off the base current and turning the IGBT off. Furthermore, IGBT switches offer numerous advantages, including improved power quality, high efficiency, reduced heat loss, low noise, compact size, and extended product life.

[0057] Further, please combine Figure 1-Figure 3 , each magnetic pulse compression circuit 12 includes at least two stages of magnetic pulse compression networks 121;

[0058] The charging times of different magnetic pulse compression networks 121 in the same magnetic pulse compression circuit 12 are the same or different;

[0059] The magnetic pulse compression network 121 includes a compression capacitor MC and a magnetic switch MS connected in series. In each level of the magnetic pulse compression network 121, current flows through the compression capacitor MC and the magnetic switch MS. The compression capacitor MC stores the pulse current over time. The magnetic switch MS has a saturated inductance when the compression capacitor MC is saturated. The saturated inductance and the stored pulse current vary inversely to turn on the magnetic pulse compression network 121 of that level, allowing the stored pulse current to flow to the magnetic pulse compression network 121 of the next level.

[0060] It should be noted that different levels of magnetic pulse compression networks 121 can achieve required time delays by designing different magnetic switch MS inductances and different charging times, making the entire magnetic pulse compression circuit 12 more flexible.

[0061] In addition, the number of magnetic pulse compression networks 121 included in each magnetic pulse compression circuit 12 can be the same or different. The number of magnetic pulse compression networks 121 is determined according to the current pulse effect to be achieved, and is not limited here.

[0062] Specifically, in a specific embodiment of the present invention, each magnetic pulse compression circuit 12 includes two magnetic pulse compression networks 121. The delay time set for each level of the magnetic pulse compression network 121 in the same magnetic pulse compression circuit 12 is different. The different delay times enable the magnetic pulse compression networks 121 to output electric pulses that can be superimposed on each other to obtain electric pulses with a high repetition frequency. When the electric pulses are released, they can meet the precise correspondence between the current pulse delay time in the electrodeless Z-pinch.

[0063] The delay times set for different magnetic pulse compression circuits 12 are the same, so that when the electric pulses released by different magnetic pulse compression circuits 12 merge into a single electric pulse, they are superimposed on each other to obtain a sufficiently high pulse peak value, that is, the electric pulse has sufficiently strong energy.

[0064] Furthermore, the energy value of the electric pulses outputted in the same path can be directly controlled by simply changing the number of parallel magnetic pulse compression circuits 12 to meet the use requirements of the electrodeless Z-pinch.

[0065] It can be understood that an IGBT high-speed switch S is set and its on and off is controlled to generate multiple pulse currents. The pulse currents are transmitted to the magnetic pulse compression network 121 in different parallel magnetic pulse compression circuits 12 through the multi-stage pulse transformer T1. After the pulse currents are compressed by multiple series-connected magnetic pulse compression networks 121, they are finally released at the same time and merged and superimposed on the same path.

[0066] In some embodiments, when the magnetic pulse current pulse delay time is determined, the output electrical pulses of each magnetic pulse compression circuit 12 are set to be the same.

[0067] It should be noted that the number of magnetic pulse compression circuits 12 will affect the repetition frequency of the pulse current after the final convergence, that is, it will affect the output energy of the electric pulse output control circuit 1. When the magnetic pulse current pulse delay time required by the electric pulse output control circuit 1 is determined, it is only necessary to superimpose multiple magnetic pulse compression circuits 12 to amplify the energy so that the peak value of the electric pulse can be completely superimposed to reach the maximum value, and the ionization of the ionized substance to be ionized can be completed within the preset time, thereby greatly improving the efficiency of the extreme ultraviolet light generation.

[0068] It can be understood that, through this design, the pulse currents generated by all the magnetic pulse compression circuits 12 will not cause negative effects when they converge, and the repetition frequency of the superimposed electric pulses obtained in this way is controllable.

[0069] Furthermore, each magnetic pulse compression circuit 12 is coupled to the power supply circuit 11 via a transformer T1 , and the transformer T1 is a pulse transformer.

[0070] Specifically, the magnetic pulse compression circuits 12 are connected in parallel and work independently, and CirA-CirN (Circuits) are used to represent the situation where multiple magnetic pulse compression circuits 12 are included in the same electric pulse output control circuit 1.

[0071] It should be noted that since each magnetic pulse compression circuit 12 includes at least two stages of magnetic pulse compression networks 121, the different magnetic pulse compression networks 121 will not show a simple linear change when compressing the pulse current. The pulse transformer is a wide-band transformer, and as long as the current pulse waveform can meet the design requirements, the magnetic core of the pulse transformer can also operate in the nonlinear region. Therefore, its appearance can be made much smaller than that of conventional communication transformers.

[0072] In addition, the transmission loss of pulse transformers is generally relatively smaller than that of ordinary transformers.

[0073] It can be understood that this method can meet the working requirements while reducing the overall volume of the electric pulse output control circuit 1, reducing transmission loss and improving power.

[0074] Furthermore, the capacitances of the compression capacitors MC of the magnetic pulse compression networks 121 at different stages in the same magnetic pulse compression circuit 12 remain consistent.

[0075] It should be noted that the design of consistent capacitance of the compression capacitor MC enables synchronization of energy transfer between the upper and lower magnetic pulse compression networks 121 during discharge, with simultaneous discharge and termination, thereby maximizing energy utilization. It does not result in a situation where some pulse energy remains unreleased when other magnetic pulse compression networks 121 are completed discharged due to excessive capacitance of the compression capacitor MC of some magnetic pulse compression networks 121 (in this case, even a single release cannot meet the working requirements, resulting in energy waste).

[0076] Specifically, the single pulse energy generated by the magnetic pulse compression circuit 12 is 3J-5J.

[0077] Furthermore, the first magnetic pulse compression network 121a and the second magnetic pulse compression network 121b in the at least two-stage magnetic pulse compression network 121 are connected in series, and the current flows through the first magnetic pulse compression network 121a and the second magnetic pulse compression network 121b in sequence;

[0078] The inductance of the magnetic switch MS1 in the first magnetic pulse compression network 121 a is greater than the inductance of the magnetic switch MS2 in the second magnetic pulse compression network 121 b .

[0079] It should be noted that the magnetic switch MS has a non-saturated inductance when the compression capacitor MC in the same-level magnetic pulse compression network is not saturated.

[0080] Specifically, the saturated inductance of the magnetic switch MS1 in the first magnetic pulse compression network 121a is 10-100 times the saturated inductance of the magnetic switch MS2 in the second magnetic pulse compression network 121b. In the same level magnetic pulse compression network 121, the unsaturated inductance of the magnetic switch MS is 800-1200 times the saturated inductance.

[0081] More specifically, in a specific embodiment of the present invention, the saturation inductance of the magnetic switch MS1 in the first magnetic pulse compression network 121a is 80 times the saturation inductance of the magnetic switch MS2 in the second magnetic pulse compression network 121b. In the same-level magnetic pulse compression network 121, the unsaturated inductance of the magnetic switch MS is 1000 times the saturation inductance.

[0082] It should be noted that in the same magnetic pulse compression circuit 12, the current first flows through the first magnetic pulse compression network 121a. In the magnetic pulse compression network 121, the magnetic switch MS1 is equivalent to an inductor with a large impedance during the charging process of the compression capacitor MC1. The circuit can be approximately regarded as an open circuit state. When the compression capacitor MC1 is saturated, the magnetic switch MS1 is saturated, the inductance value decreases sharply, and the current stored in the capacitor smoothly flows through the magnetic switch MS1 to the second magnetic pulse compression network 121b, thereby achieving step-by-step compression.

[0083] The unsaturated inductance of the next stage must be much larger than the saturated inductance of the previous stage, ensuring that when the magnetic switch of the previous stage is turned on, the magnetic switch of the next stage is relatively in the off state.

[0084] The saturation inductance of the next stage is much smaller than the saturation inductance of the previous stage. This solution can ensure that the electric pulse is effectively compressed.

[0085] It can be understood that the saturation inductance of the magnetic switch MS1 in the previous level magnetic pulse compression network 121 needs to be greater than the saturation inductance of the magnetic switch MS2 in the next level magnetic pulse compression network 121, so as to achieve the technical effect that the pulse current can only flow into the first level magnetic pulse compression network 121b after the first level magnetic pulse compression network 121a has compressed it. This method can more easily and effectively achieve step-by-step compression of the pulse current.

[0086] Furthermore, the magnetic switch MS of the last-stage magnetic pulse compression network 121 of each magnetic pulse compression circuit 12 can release leakage current to the outside.

[0087] It should be noted that the magnetic switch MS, as a soft switch, does not have a strict shutoff state, so leakage current will definitely be generated. By increasing or decreasing the inductance of the magnetic switch, the leakage current generated can be used for pre-ionization.

[0088] Electrodeless pinch devices usually use leakage current to pre-ionize the ionized material to form low-valence plasma clusters. Traditional pinch devices use a separate pre-ionization circuit and the pre-ionization current is extremely large. This design makes the pinch device complex in structure and operation.

[0089] Specifically, in a specific embodiment of the present invention, the magnetic pulse compression circuit 12 does not need to discharge to the outside through a device. Relatively, each magnetic pulse compression circuit 12 leaks current to the T2 transformer coupled to the load at the second magnetic switch MS2, and releases the leakage current to the outside through the T2 transformer, thereby pre-ionizing the material to be ionized in the vacuum environment, and then directly discharges the material to be ionized through the second magnetic switch MS2 for strong ionization. The structure is simple and the operation is simple.

[0090] It can be understood that this method can directly obtain the leakage current and release it to the outside, which makes the process simpler and more convenient to use.

[0091] Further, please combine Figure 1 and Figure 4 The inductance of the magnetic switch MS can be controlled by changing the parameters of the magnetic switch MS itself, thereby changing the saturation inductance value and the unsaturation inductance. The calculation formula is:

[0092]

[0093] Where n is the number of magnetic switches, L' n is the saturation inductance corresponding to the nth magnetic switch, u0 is the vacuum permeability, u s is the saturation permeability, N is the number of winding turns of the core, r0 is the outer diameter of the annular core, r i is the inner diameter of the toroidal core, h is the height of the magnetic ring, and Δr is the radius of the wire.

[0094] It should be noted that the saturated inductance of the magnetic switch MS follows the volt-second product balance, and the unsaturated inductance is calculated through the saturated inductance. Therefore, by calculating and designing the saturated inductance value and unsaturated inductance of a single magnetic switch MS, the charging time of the pulse current in the magnetic pulse compression network 121 is controlled, that is, the pulse delay time of the single magnetic pulse compression network 121 is controlled.

[0095] Specifically, the pulse delay time is controlled by the saturation inductance of the magnetic core of the magnetic switch MS. The larger the saturation inductance, the longer the delay time.

[0096] It can be understood that this method can achieve more detailed refinement of the delay time, accurate to each level of the magnetic pulse compression network 121.

[0097] Specifically, the design of the magnetic switch MS follows the basic core volt-second product balance formula:

[0098]

[0099] Among them, V Mn is the voltage across the magnetic switch coil, N is the number of turns of the magnetic switch coil, ΔB is the change in magnetic induction intensity of the core, S is the effective cross-sectional area of ​​the core, a is the stacking factor, M n Indicates the nth magnetic switch.

[0100] Furthermore, PulseA-PulseN represent the electric pulses output by different magnetic pulse compression circuits 12 respectively. The peak value of the electric pulse output by each magnetic pulse compression circuit 12 is 4000A-8000A, the pulse width is 200ns-600ns, and the repetition frequency is 1Hz-2kHz. After different time delays of pulse-seconds, the peak current passed into the load after merging is 4000A-8000A, the pulse width is 200ns-600ns, and the repetition frequency is mHz-2mkHz, where m is the number of magnetic pulse compression circuits connected in parallel.

[0101] It should be noted that the electric pulse output control circuit 1 proposed in this scheme is more compact. By utilizing integration, the energy utilization rate is improved by 30% compared with the multi-power supply system, and the final pulse frequency can reach the MHz level, which solves the problem of low pulse repetition frequency caused by the high-speed switch S. In addition, compared with previous technologies, this scheme has a lower production cost, especially the components of the circuit part are relatively easy to obtain, and even a magnetic pulse compression network can be designed according to the load requirements to achieve impedance matching and more efficiently couple energy into the load system.

[0102] Optionally, the combined pulse current can be input into the load through a matching network.

[0103] It should be noted that the matching network can achieve efficient utilization of energy, thereby making the output efficiency of the electric pulse output control circuit 1 higher.

[0104] Please combine Figure 1 、 Figure 5 and Figure 6 The present invention also provides an electrodeless Z pinching device 2, which also includes other working elements 21 used in conjunction with the electric pulse output control circuit 1, and has the same beneficial effects as the above-mentioned electric pulse output control circuit 1, which will not be repeated here.

[0105] Specifically, the interior of the electrodeless Z pinch device 2 is filled with xenon (Xe), argon (Ar), or helium (He) to be ionized. During operation of the electrodeless Z pinch device 2, the power supply circuit 11 provides an electric pulse, i.e., a main pulse current: a direct current power supply DC charges the charging capacitor C. The charged electric pulse passes through the multi-stage magnetic pulse compression circuit 12, stores the current in the compression capacitor MC, and releases and merges the electric pulse in a short period of time, thereby increasing the repetition frequency of the electric pulse.

[0106] The magnetic pulse compression circuit 12 compresses the main pulse current and stores it as electric or magnetic field energy. During the set pre-ionization time, the magnetic pulse compression circuit 12 applies a load to the transformer T2, generating a leakage current that is coupled to the material to be ionized via a preset coupling unit for initial ionization, forming a low-valence plasma mass. This plasma mass undergoes directed motion in the magnetic field due to the Lorentz force, and generates a plasma loop through electromagnetic induction. A plasma loop can be considered a loop containing resistance and inductance. At this point, the preset coupling unit, electric pulse, and plasma loop current can be considered a transformer structure, meaning that the plasma loop forms a plasma ring, which can be considered a load.

[0107] After the plasma ring is turned on, the main current pulse begins to discharge: the magnetic pulse compression circuit 12 strongly ionizes the low-valence plasma ring within the set strong ionization time to produce a high-valence plasma ring. At this time, the current in the current loop is enhanced, and the initial plasma group in the central hole begins to radially pinch (i.e., the z-pinch effect) under the action of the Lorentz force generated by its own magnetic field, thereby continuously increasing the density and reducing the volume, and finally obtaining a high-temperature and high-density plasma group, which radiates 13.5nm extreme ultraviolet light.

[0108] Optionally, the preset coupling unit is a loaded ferrite core.

[0109] In the embodiments provided herein, it should be understood that "B corresponding to A" means that B is associated with A and B can be determined based on A. However, it should also be understood that determining B based on A does not mean determining B based solely on A; B can also be determined based on A and / or other information.

[0110] It should be understood that references to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" throughout this specification mean that specific features, structures, or characteristics associated with the embodiment are included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Therefore, the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" appearing throughout this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, these specific features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. Those skilled in the art should also be aware that the embodiments described in this specification are all optional embodiments, and the actions and modules involved are not necessarily required for the present invention.

[0111] In various embodiments of the present invention, it should be understood that the size of the serial numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not necessarily mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0112] The flow charts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings of the present invention illustrate the possible implementation architecture, functions and operations of the systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present application. In this regard, each box in the flow chart or block diagram can represent a module, program segment or a part of code, and the module, program segment or a part of code contains one or more executable instructions for realizing the specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementation schemes, the functions marked in the box can also occur in a different order than those marked in the accompanying drawings. For example, two boxes represented in succession can actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they can sometimes be executed in the opposite order, which is determined based on the functions involved. It should be noted that each box in the block diagram and / or flow chart, and the combination of the boxes in the block diagram and / or flow chart can be implemented by a dedicated hardware-based system that performs the specified function or operation, or can be implemented by a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0113] Compared with the prior art, the electric pulse output control circuit and the electrodeless Z pinch device of the present invention have the following advantages:

[0114] 1. The electric pulse output control circuit of the present invention includes a power supply circuit and at least two magnetic pulse compression circuits whose input ends are coupled to the output ends of the power supply circuit. The power supply circuit simultaneously inputs pulse currents into different magnetic pulse compression circuits. The different magnetic pulse compression circuits are connected in parallel. The charging time and inductance parameters of each magnetic pulse compression circuit are controlled to generate and output pulse currents with the same repetition frequency and different pulse intervals in different magnetic pulse compression circuits. The output ends of the parallel magnetic pulse compression circuits merge the pulse currents released after compression by each magnetic pulse compression circuit into the same path to generate and output electric pulses with a repetition frequency that is positively correlated with the number of magnetic pulse compression circuits. Through this method, the pulse current output by the power supply circuit can be simultaneously input into different magnetic pulse compression circuits for compression. The output end of the magnetic pulse compression circuit merges the pulse current released after compression into the same electric pulse. Among them, the superposition of electric pulses with the same repetition frequency and different delay times can realize the superposition of different electric pulses on the time scale to increase the repetition frequency, thereby obtaining electric pulses with a high repetition frequency; the superposition of electric pulses with the same repetition frequency and the same delay time can realize the superposition of different electric pulses at the same time point to increase the pulse peak value, thereby obtaining high-energy electric pulses to meet usage requirements.

[0115] 2. The electric pulse output control circuit of the present invention comprises a power supply circuit comprising a DC power supply, a charging capacitor, and a switch. The DC power supply provides DC power, and the charging capacitor is connected in parallel with the switch. When the switch is open, the DC power supply charges the charging capacitor, and when the switch is closed, the DC power supply current flows from the positive electrode back to the negative electrode. The switch is a high-speed switch that is controlled on and off to convert the DC power into multiple pulse currents. By providing a high-speed switch and controlling its on and off, multiple current pulses with a desired repetition frequency are generated.

[0116] 3. In the electric pulse output control circuit of the present invention, each magnetic pulse compression circuit can release leakage current. Electrodeless pinch devices typically use leakage current to pre-ionize the ionized material to form a low-valence plasma. This method can directly capture and release leakage current, making the process simpler and more convenient to use.

[0117] 4. In the electric pulse output control circuit of the present invention, each magnetic pulse compression circuit is coupled to the power supply circuit via a transformer, and the transformers are all pulse transformers. Since each magnetic pulse compression circuit includes at least two stages of magnetic pulse compression networks, different magnetic pulse compression networks will not show simple linear changes when compressing the pulse current. The pulse transformer is a wide-band transformer, and as long as the current pulse waveform can meet the design requirements, the magnetic core of the pulse transformer can also work in the nonlinear region. Therefore, its appearance can be made much smaller than that of a conventional communication transformer. In addition, the transmission loss of a pulse transformer is generally relatively smaller than that of a transformer. In this way, while meeting the working requirements, the overall volume of the electric pulse output control circuit is reduced, the transmission loss is reduced, and the power is increased.

[0118] 5. In the electric pulse output control circuit of the present invention, the magnetic switch has a non-saturated inductance when the compression capacitor in the same-stage magnetic pulse compression network is not saturated. In at least two-stage magnetic pulse compression networks, the first and second magnetic pulse compression networks are connected in series, and current flows through the first and second magnetic pulse compression networks in sequence. The saturation inductance of the magnetic switch in the first magnetic pulse compression network is greater than the saturation inductance of the magnetic switch in the second magnetic pulse compression network. In the same magnetic pulse compression circuit, current first flows through the first magnetic pulse compression network. When the charging capacitor of the magnetic switch in the magnetic pulse compression network is saturated during the charging process, the magnetic switch is saturated, the saturation inductance value decreases sharply, and the current stored in the capacitor flows smoothly through the magnetic switch to the second magnetic pulse compression network. The capacitor charging process is repeated in the second magnetic pulse compression network, thereby achieving step-by-step compression of the pulse current by different magnetic pulse compression circuits.

[0119] 6. The present invention also provides an electrodeless Z-pinch device, which has the same beneficial effects as the above-mentioned electric pulse output control circuit, and will not be described in detail here.

[0120] The above is a detailed introduction to an electric pulse output control circuit and an electrodeless Z-pinch device disclosed in an embodiment of the present invention. Specific examples are used herein to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present invention. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the method of the present invention and its core idea. At the same time, for those skilled in the art, according to the idea of ​​the present invention, there may be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scopes. In summary, the content of this specification should not be understood as a limitation on the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent replacements and improvements made within the principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An electric pulse output control circuit, characterized in that: The invention comprises a power supply circuit and at least two magnetic pulse compression circuits whose input terminals are coupled to the output terminals of the power supply circuits, wherein the power supply circuit simultaneously inputs pulse currents into different magnetic pulse compression circuits, the different magnetic pulse compression circuits are connected in parallel, and the charging time and inductance parameters of each magnetic pulse compression circuit are controlled to generate and output pulse currents with the same repetition frequency and different pulse intervals in the different magnetic pulse compression circuits; The output ends of the parallel magnetic pulse compression circuits combine the pulse currents released after compression by each magnetic pulse compression circuit into the same path to generate and output electric pulses with a repetition frequency positively correlated with the number of the magnetic pulse compression circuits.

2. The electric pulse output control circuit according to claim 1, characterized in that: The power supply circuit includes a DC power supply, a charging capacitor and a switch: The DC power supply provides DC power, and the charging capacitor is connected in parallel with the switch. When the switch is disconnected, the DC power supply charges the charging capacitor, and when the switch is closed, the DC power supply current returns from the positive electrode to the negative electrode; The switch is a high-speed switch that controls on and off to convert direct current into multiple pulse currents.

3. The electric pulse output control circuit according to claim 1, wherein: Each of the magnetic pulse compression circuits can release leakage current to the outside.

4. The electric pulse output control circuit according to claim 1, wherein: Each of the magnetic pulse compression circuits is coupled to the power supply circuit via a transformer, and the transformers are all pulse transformers.

5. The electric pulse output control circuit according to claim 1, wherein: Each of the magnetic pulse compression circuits includes at least two stages of magnetic pulse compression networks; The magnetic pulse compression network includes a compression capacitor and a magnetic switch connected in series. In each level of the magnetic pulse compression network, the compression capacitor stores pulse current over time. The magnetic switch has a saturated inductance when the compression capacitor is saturated. The saturated inductance changes inversely with the storage amount of the pulse current to turn on the magnetic pulse compression network of that level, allowing the stored pulse current to flow to the magnetic pulse compression network of the next level.

6. The electric pulse output control circuit according to claim 5, wherein the magnetic switch has a non-saturated inductance when the compression capacitor in the same-level magnetic pulse compression network is not saturated, and is characterized in that: A first magnetic pulse compression network and a second magnetic pulse compression network in at least two stages of the magnetic pulse compression network are connected in series, and current flows through the first magnetic pulse compression network and the second magnetic pulse compression network in sequence; The saturation inductance of the magnetic switch in the first magnetic pulse compression network is greater than the saturation inductance of the magnetic switch in the second magnetic pulse compression network.

7. The electric pulse output control circuit according to claim 6, wherein: The saturation inductance of the magnetic switch in the first magnetic pulse compression network is 10-100 times the saturation inductance of the magnetic switch in the second magnetic pulse compression network. In the same level magnetic pulse compression network, the unsaturated inductance of the magnetic switch is 800-1200 times the saturation inductance.

8. The electric pulse output control circuit according to claim 6, wherein: The inductance of the magnetic switch can be changed, and the calculation formula is: Where n is the number of magnetic switches, L' n is the saturation inductance corresponding to the nth magnetic switch, u0 is the vacuum permeability, u s is the saturation permeability, N is the number of winding turns of the core, r0 is the outer diameter of the annular core, r i is the inner diameter of the toroidal core, h is the height of the magnetic ring, and Δr is the radius of the wire.

9. The electric pulse output control circuit according to claim 1, wherein: The peak output current of each magnetic pulse compression circuit is 4000A-8000A, the pulse width is 200ns-600ns, and the repetition frequency is 1Hz-2kHz. The peak current passed into the load after merging is 4000A-8000A, the pulse width is 200ns-600ns, and the repetition frequency is mHz-2mkHz, where m is the number of the magnetic pulse compression circuits connected in parallel.

10. An electrodeless Z-pinch device comprising the electric pulse output control circuit according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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