Energy resupply module, switching circuit and embodiment, plasma processing system, and method for generating rectangular voltage output pulses for plasma processing load.

Abstract

A reenergizing module (15) for a switching circuit (101) having a switching unit (24), comprising: The switching unit is connectable to a DC voltage source (V1) and is configured to provide at its output (OUT) one or a combination of the following characteristics: iv) high voltage values; v) high voltage rise values ​​with reduced oscillations and / or overshoot; vi) high current values ​​for capacitive loads, especially plasma processing loads (12); The energy resupply module (15) c. a rectifier circuit (14) configured such that its positive end on its DC side is connected to the positive connection of the DC voltage source (V1) and its negative end on its DC side is connected to the negative connection of the DC voltage source; d. A transformer (TF1) i. configured to be connected in series between said switching unit (24) and said output (OUT), and having the following characteristics: - high voltage values, - high voltage rise values, -High current value a primary winding (18) configured to have both stray inductance and parasitic resistance low enough to introduce said one or a combination of: ii. a transformer (TF1) comprising a secondary winding (19) connected to the AC side of the rectifier circuit (14).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an energy resupply module, a switching circuit comprising such an energy resupply module, a switching embodiment comprising at least one such switching circuit, a plasma system comprising such a switching circuit and / or such a switching embodiment, and a method for generating a rectangular voltage output pulse.

[0002] Some plasma processing applications, such as etching or layer deposition, require a high voltage (HV), high frequency (HF), rectangular, asymmetric, pulsed voltage supply. Especially when HF operation is required, the voltage values often greatly exceed the feasibility of the voltage handling of individual semiconductor switches. Therefore, in many cases, a series connection of such switches is the only possible solution. A series connection requires voltage balancing means. These are not easily achieved in HF operation.

[0003] Most plasma applications present a load that includes capacitive components. Considerable power losses are associated with the charge and discharge process of this load capacitance for each pulse. Further problems are the low efficiency of the pulse generator and unwanted voltage oscillations. Therefore, a voltage pulse having a (nearly) ideal rectangular shape is required.

[0004] It is an object of the present invention to provide an energy resupply module, a switching circuit, a switching embodiment, a plasma processing system, and a method for generating a high voltage rectangular pulse.

[0005] This object is solved by the energy resupply module according to claim 1 and / or the switching circuit according to claim 8 and / or the switching embodiment according to claim 11 and / or the plasma system according to claim 12 and / or the method according to claim 13. Further aspects of the present invention are described in the dependent claims and / or the specification.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, an energy resupply module for a switching circuit having a switching unit is proposed, the switching unit being connectable to a DC voltage source and configured to deliver one or a combination of the following features at its output, namely, i) High voltage value, ii) High voltage rise, iii) High current values ​​for capacitive loads, especially plasma processing loads, The energy resupply module is a. A rectifier circuit configured such that its positive terminal on the DC side is connected to the positive connection of a DC voltage source, and its negative terminal on the DC side is connected to the negative connection of the DC voltage source, particularly to ground potential. b. A transformer, i. It is configured to be connected in series between the switching unit and the output, and has the following characteristics: - High voltage value, - High voltage rise value, - High current value A primary winding configured to have both stray inductance and parasitic resistance low enough to lead to one or a combination of the following: ii. A transformer comprising a secondary winding connected to the AC side of a rectifier circuit.

[0007] According to a further aspect of the present invention, a switching circuit connected to a plasma processing load is proposed, and the switching circuit is A series connection of a high-side switching element and a low-side switching element, configured to generate a high-voltage (HV) pulse signal with an output that can be connected to a voltage source and a plasma load, • A rectifier circuit connected to a voltage source, • It is a transformer, ○A primary winding connected in series between the output and the connection point between the high-side switching element and the low-side switching element, ○A transformer comprising a secondary winding connected to a rectifier circuit.

[0008] According to a further aspect of the present invention, a switching circuit is proposed configured to deliver high-voltage (HV) fast-rising pulses to a plasma processing load, wherein the switching circuit a) A switching unit comprising a series connection of a high-side switching element and a low-side switching element, a connection point for both switching elements, a low-side connection and a high-side connection, and the low-side connection and the high-side connection connected to a voltage source, b) Energy resupply modules as described herein, i.DC side is a rectifier circuit connected to a voltage source, ii. The primary winding of a transformer connected in series between the output and the connection point between the high-side switching element and the low-side switching element, iii. An energy resupply module having a secondary winding connected to the AC side of a rectifier circuit.

[0009] Such switching circuits enable the generation of voltage pulses with a nearly ideal rectangular shape. In particular, they can prevent unwanted voltage oscillations. Furthermore, the efficiency of such switching circuits is very high. If such switching circuits are used in high-voltage pulse generators, the efficiency of the pulse generator can be increased.

[0010] The stray inductance may be 100 μH or less. In particular, it may be 10 μH or less.

[0011] The parasitic resistance may be 1Ω or less, and especially 0 or 1Ω or less.

[0012] High voltage values ​​can be 800V or higher, especially 1.5kV or higher, and especially at least 5kV.

[0013] A high voltage rise can be at least 1 kV / μs, particularly 10 kV / μs or more, and preferably 100 kV / μs or more. A voltage rise may also mean a voltage drop.

[0014] High current values ​​may be at least 30A, and especially 100A or more.

[0015] The high-voltage pulse signal may be a pulse signal having a high voltage, as defined above, and especially a high voltage rise value as defined above.

[0016] Modules, units, circuits, and / or embodiments may be configured to power a plasma load with an output of at least 10 kW, preferably 20 kW or more, particularly during pulses.

[0017] A rectifier circuit may have its positive terminal on the DC side connected to the positive terminal of a DC voltage source, and its negative terminal on the DC side connected to the negative terminal of a DC voltage source, particularly to ground potential.

[0018] The energy resupply module, switching circuit, and / or switching unit may be part of a high-power generator as described in European Patent Application Publication No. 22461510.4, filed on 28 February 2022, entitled “High-power generator and method for supplying high-power pulses.”

[0019] The transformer may be a step-up transformer. During the generation of the pulse, since the high-side switching element switch can be turned on, the energy from the voltage source flows to the output that can be connected to the load, especially the plasma load having capacitive characteristics. At the start of this process, almost all of the voltage difference between the voltage source and the voltage of the load occurs in the primary winding of the transformer. In the secondary winding of the transformer, a voltage is induced. The voltage value is equal to the voltage of the primary winding multiplied by the transformer ratio. When this induced voltage is higher than the supply voltage on the busbar, the rectifying component of the rectifier starts to conduct. In this way, the induced voltage in the secondary winding is limited to the voltage value on the busbar, that is, the power supply voltage. Due to the transformer ratio, the voltage in the primary winding is also reduced (to the voltage corresponding to the voltage on the busbar divided by the transformer ratio). Therefore, at the start of charging the load, the transformer represents a relatively low impedance, enabling the load to be charged quickly. In this state, the magnetic core of the transformer does not store energy and may cause an overvoltage in the load.

[0020] When the charging current decreases so that the voltage induced by the secondary winding does not become higher than the voltage on the busbar, the current in the secondary winding stops flowing, and the transformer simply acts as an inductance. Since the inductance of the primary winding of this transformer increases, the current for charging the load capacitance decreases. Therefore, the charging process decelerates and reduces unnecessary vibrations.

[0021] Basically the same thing also occurs when the high-side switching element is opened and the low-side switching element is closed, that is, at the falling edge of the output voltage pulse. In that state, the energy from the load capacitance is released through the low-side switching element. At the start of this process, the voltage of the primary winding of the transformer is high enough, and some energy is returned to the busbar by the rectifying circuit.

[0022] Since the current is mainly restricted by the leakage inductance of the transformer, this process is relatively fast. At the end of the discharge of the capacitive load, the voltage of the primary winding of the transformer is low (the voltage of the secondary winding of the transformer is lower than the voltage of the busbar), so the transformer begins to behave as a normal inductance that restricts the current and slows down the load discharge process. Also in this case, since the amount of energy stored in the inductance of the transformer is small, the unwanted vibrations are relatively small.

[0023] During the charging and discharging of the load capacitance for a certain period, some energy is returned to the busbar, that is, the power supply, so the overall efficiency of this circuit is improved.

[0024] The rectifier circuit can include one component, particularly a rectifier diode, configured to conduct current in only one direction.

[0025] The rectifier circuit can include two components, particularly two rectifier diodes, configured to conduct current in only one direction.

[0026] The rectifier circuit can include four components, particularly four rectifier diodes, particularly a bridge circuit, configured to conduct current in only one direction. In this way, the rectifier circuit can be realized with inexpensive standard components.

[0027] To protect the load from overvoltage, an overvoltage protection unit, particularly an overvoltage protection diode, can be configured to be connected between the output and the rectifier circuit.

[0028] At least one overvoltage protection unit, particularly one overvoltage protection diode, may be configured to be connected between the output and at least one connection of the voltage source.

[0029] As mentioned above, the transformer charges itself. Therefore, the transformer stores some energy. This can cause some overvoltage (the load capacity is charged to a voltage higher than the busbar voltage). To avoid this, an overvoltage protection unit, in particular an overvoltage protection diode, can be provided to protect the load from overvoltage. In this way, unwanted vibrations can be prevented. A first damping resistor may be connected in series with the overvoltage protection unit. This can further stabilize the energy resupply module. The first damping resistor can have a value of 1Ω to 100Ω, preferably 20Ω to 70Ω.

[0030] A negative voltage protection unit, particularly a negative voltage protection diode, may be configured to be connected between the output and ground potential to protect the load from negative voltage. Furthermore, unwanted vibrations can be limited by adding such a negative voltage protection unit, especially a negative voltage protection diode that prevents the load from being charged to a negative voltage, in parallel with the load. A second damping resistor may be connected in series with the negative voltage protection unit. This can further stabilize the energy resupply module. The second damping resistor can have a value of 1Ω to 100Ω, preferably 20Ω to 70Ω.

[0031] A diode may be connected in parallel to one, in particular to each of the switching elements. In this way, the switching elements can be protected from high voltage. This is especially true when the switching element includes a MOSFET as a switching component. Each switching element may include one or more switching components, such as a MOSFET or a bipolar transistor.

[0032] One aspect of the present invention is, a. Some switching units as described above, in particular, including a series connection of a high-side switching element and a low-side switching element, a connection of both switching elements, a low-side connection and a high-side connection, wherein the low-side connection and the high-side connection are connected to a voltage source, b. A switching embodiment having at least one switching circuit as described above, The switching unit is connected in series with one voltage source connection point of one switching circuit, which is connected in a series connection line to the output of the next switching circuit.

[0033] Further aspects of the present invention relate to a plasma system comprising the plasma load and switching circuit described above, and / or a switching embodiment described above. Such a plasma system may be advantageously used in semiconductor manufacturing processes and may be particularly used for the manufacture of 3D memory devices such as 3D NAND memory devices, which are preferred when etching deep holes for connecting 3D structures.

[0034] A further aspect of the present invention relates to a method for generating a rectangular voltage output pulse, wherein this method The steps include: generating an HV pulse signal at the output of a switching circuit using a series connection of a high-side switching element and a low-side switching element connected to a voltage source; The steps include supplying an HV pulse signal to the output via the primary winding of the transformer, The process includes the step of rectifying the current induced in the secondary winding of the transformer.

[0035] This method enables the generation of voltage pulses with a nearly ideal rectangular shape. Voltage overshoot and oscillation can be prevented, thus increasing efficiency.

[0036] During the charging and discharging of the load capacitance connected to the output, energy is fed back to the busbar. This improves the efficiency of the switching circuit and significantly reduces power loss.

[0037] By providing a diode connected to the output, vibration can be reduced.

[0038] More precisely, vibrations are, a. Overvoltage protection unit, in particular overvoltage protection diode, and / or b. This may be further reduced by providing a negative voltage protection unit, particularly a negative voltage protection diode connected to the output (OUT). In particular, this is further reduced by the protection unit, especially by the first and / or second damping resistors connected in series with the diodes, respectively.

[0039] Further features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the drawings illustrating essential details and the following detailed description of embodiments of the invention based on the claims. The features shown therein do not necessarily need to be understood to scale, but are shown in a way that clearly visualizes the specific features according to the present invention. Various features can be implemented individually or in any combination in variations of the present invention.

[0040] The schematic diagram illustrates examples of the present invention at various stages of use, which will be described in more detail in the following description. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0041] [Figure 1] A first example of a plasma processing system having a switching circuit and an energy resupply module is shown. [Figure 2] The output voltage obtained by the switching circuit of the present invention is shown. [Figure 3a] Further examples of plasma processing systems are shown, each having a series combination of switching circuits, each equipped with one or more energy resupply modules. [Figure 3b] Further examples of plasma processing systems are shown, each having a series combination of switching circuits, each equipped with one or more energy resupply modules. [Figure 4a] Further examples of plasma processing systems are shown, each having a series combination of switching circuits, each equipped with one or more energy resupply modules. [Figure 4b] Further examples of plasma processing systems are shown, each having a series combination of switching circuits, each equipped with one or more energy resupply modules. [Figure 5a] The diagrams in Figures 1 and 2 are shown in a simplified form. [Figure 5b] Figure 5a shows the possible related factors. [Figure 5c] Figure 5a shows the possible related factors. [Figure 5d] Figure 5a shows the possible related factors.

[0042] Figure 1 shows a first example in which a plasma processing system 100 having a plasma processing load 12 and a switching circuit 101 comprising an energy resupply module 15 and a switching unit 24 are both connected to a DC voltage source V1. The switching circuit 101 is configured to deliver a high voltage value, a high voltage rise value and / or a high current value at its output OUT to a capacitive load, in particular the plasma processing load 12. The plasma processing load 12 has a resistive component R L and capacity component C L It includes a resistor component R. L Typical values ​​are between 0, 5kΩ and 50kΩ. Capacitive component C LTypical values ​​are between 0 and 1 μF. This may be a plasma load similar to or identical to that described in the European Patent Application No. EP22461510.4, filed on 28 February 2022, entitled “A method for supplying a high-power generator and high-power pulses,” which is incorporated in whole by reference in this application. The plasma processing system 100 described herein may be similar to or identical to, for example, that described in Figure 10 of European Patent Application Publication No. 22461510.4. The switching unit 24 includes a series connection of a high-side switching element S1 and a low-side switching element S2, and may be similar to or identical to the switching units 24, 26, and 28 of European Patent No. 22461510.4. The switching unit 24 may have its positive terminal 26 connected to the positive connection of the DC voltage source V1 and its negative terminal 25 connected to the negative connection of the DC voltage source V1, in particular to the ground potential PE.

[0043] The switching circuit 101 further comprises an energy resupply module 15. The positive terminal of the energy resupply module 15 is connected to the positive connection of the DC voltage source V1, and the negative terminal of the energy resupply module 15 is connected to the negative connection of the DC voltage source V1. The energy resupply module 15 is further connected to the connection point 16 between the high-side switching element S1 and the low-side switching element S2. The energy resupply module 15 is further connected to the output OUT of the switching circuit 101.

[0044] The energy resupply module 15 comprises a rectifier circuit 14 and a transformer TF1. The rectifier circuit 14 has its positive DC side connected to the positive connection of the DC voltage source V1, and its negative DC side connected to the negative connection of the DC voltage source V1, in this case to the ground potential PE. The transformer TF1 comprises a primary winding 18 and a secondary winding 19. The primary winding 18 is connected in series between the output OUT of the switching circuit 101 and the switching unit 24, in particular to the connection point 16 between the high-side switching element S1 and the low-side switching element S2. The transformer TF1 is configured to have both stray inductance and parasitic resistance low enough to lead to the aforementioned high voltage values, high voltage rise values, and / or high current values. The secondary winding 19 of the transformer TF1 is connected at both ends to the AC side of the rectifier circuit 14. The rectifier circuit 14 comprises four diodes DR1 to DR4 connected in this case to a bridge circuit. The rectifier circuit 14 has its DC side connected to the voltage source V1 and its AC side connected to the secondary winding of the transformer TF1. The transformer TF1 may have a magnetic core.

[0045] Diodes D1 and D2 are provided in parallel with each switching element S1 and S2. They may be used as freewheeling diodes and / or to protect the switching elements S1 and S2 from negative voltages.

[0046] An overvoltage protection unit, embodied as an additional diode D01, is connected between the output OUT and the positive connection of the voltage source V1 to protect the load from overvoltage. A negative voltage protection unit, embodied as another diode D02, is connected in parallel between the negative connection of the voltage source V1, specifically the ground potential PE, and the output OUT, i.e., the load 12, to protect the load from negative voltage. These diodes D01 and D02 can also reduce vibration. Furthermore, a first damping resistor R1 is connected in series with the overvoltage protection unit and embodied as diode D01. Furthermore, a second damping resistor R2 is connected in series with the negative voltage protection unit and embodied as diode D02. Using these resistors, vibration can be reduced even more effectively.

[0047] The operation of the switching circuit 101 is as follows: During pulse generation, the high-side switching element S1 may be switched on to allow energy from the voltage source V1 to flow to the output OUT. At the start of this process, almost the entire voltage difference between the voltage source V1 and the voltage on the load 12 is generated in the primary winding of the transformer TF1. Thus, a voltage is induced in the secondary winding 19 of the transformer TF1. The voltage value is equal to the voltage of the primary winding multiplied by the transformer ratio. If this induced voltage is higher than the voltage on the voltage source V1, the positive bias diodes DR1~DR4 of the rectifier 14 begin to conduct, so the induced voltage in the secondary winding is limited to the value of the voltage of the voltage source V1. Due to the transformer ratio, the voltage in the primary winding also drops to a voltage corresponding to the voltage of the voltage source V1 divided by the transformer ratio. Thus, at the start of charging the load 12, the transformer TF1 exhibits a relatively low impedance, allowing the load 12 to be charged rapidly. In this state, the transformer's magnetic core does not store energy, which could cause an overvoltage to be generated in load 12.

[0048] When the charging current is reduced so that the voltage induced by the secondary winding does not exceed the voltage on busbar V1, no current flows through the secondary winding, and the transformer TF1 acts solely as an inductor. As the inductance of the primary winding of transformer TF1 increases, the current charging the load 12 decreases. Therefore, the charging process slows down and unwanted vibrations are reduced.

[0049] The same thing happens when the high-side switching element S1 is opened and the low-side switching element S2 is closed, that is, when the output voltage pulse falls. In this state, energy from the load is released through the low-side switching element S2. At the start of this process, the voltage on the primary winding of the transformer TF1 is sufficiently high that some energy is returned to the voltage source V1 by the rectifier circuit 14.

[0050] This process is relatively fast because the current is limited primarily by the leakage inductance of transformer TF1. At the end of the load discharge, the voltage on the primary winding of transformer TF1 is low (the voltage on the secondary winding of transformer TF1 is lower than the voltage of the voltage source V1). Therefore, transformer TF1 begins to behave as a normal inductance, limiting the current and slowing down the discharge process of load 12. Again, in this case, unwanted oscillations are relatively small because the amount of energy stored in the inductance of transformer TF1 is small.

[0051] Figure 2 shows the voltage waveform VOUT generated at the output OUT of the switching circuit 101. As can be seen from the figure, a rectangular voltage pulse is obtained with a sharp falling edge and no oscillations at the corners of the pulse shape.

[0052] Figure 3a shows a second example of the plasma processing system 300, in which series combinations of switching circuits 301, 301i, ... 301n comprise energy resupply modules 315, 315i, ... 315n and switching units 324, ... 324i, 324n, respectively.

[0053] Each switching unit 324, 324i, ..., 324n is connected to the corresponding voltage sources V1, Vi, ..., Vn, respectively.

[0054] A series combination of switching circuits 301, 301i, ... 301n can construct a switching embodiment 311.

[0055] Switching units 324, ... 324i, ... 324n are connected in series to one of the voltage source connection points of switching circuits 301, 301i, which is connected in a series connection line to the output OUT of the following switching circuits 301i, 301n.

[0056] The resupply modules 315i, ... 315n are optional here. For this effect, it may be sufficient to have only one resupply module 315 at the output of the switching embodiment 311.

[0057] Figure 3b shows a third example of a plasma processing system 300' having a series combination of switching circuits 301, 301i, ... 301n. Compared to Figure 3a, the plasma processing system 300' has only one energy resupply module 315z, which is connected to the output of one of the switching circuits 301, and is connected to the voltage source V1 of the switching circuit 301, in particular to the voltage source Vn of the switching circuit 301n, in particular to the ground potential PE.

[0058] Figure 4a shows a fourth example of the plasma processing system 400, in which a series combination of switching circuits 401, 401i, ... 401n comprises energy resupply modules 415, 415i, ... 415n and switching units 424, ... 424i, 424n, respectively.

[0059] Each switching unit 424, 424i, ..., 424n is connected to its corresponding voltage source V1, Vi, ..., Vn, respectively.

[0060] A series combination of switching circuits 401, 401i, ... 401n can construct a switching embodiment 411.

[0061] Switching units 424, ... 424i, ... 424n are connected in series to one of the voltage source connection points of switching circuits 401n, 401i, which is connected to the output OUT of the following switching circuits 401i, 401, via a series connection line.

[0062] The resupply modules 415i, ... 415n are optional here. For this effect, it may be sufficient to have only one resupply module 415 at the output of the switching embodiment 411. A switching embodiment 411 with such an implementation is shown in Figure 4b, in which the plasma processing system 400' has only one energy resupply module 415z.

[0063] Figures 5a to 5d should make more clear the advantages of the energy resupply modules 15, 315, 415, the switching circuits 24, 324, 424 comprising such energy resupply modules, the switching embodiments 311, 411 comprising at least one of the switching circuits 324, 424, the plasma systems 100, 300, 400 comprising such switching circuits and / or such switching embodiments, and the method for generating rectangular voltage output pulses.

[0064] Figure 5a shows a simplified representation combining the diagrams in Figures 1 and 2.

[0065] Figures 5b to 5d show the related possibilities of Figure 5a, with corresponding output voltages Voutb, Voutc, and Voutd. The voltage amplitude may be approximately 8kV or greater. At the same time, the current, which is not shown, may be approximately 30A or greater. The duration of such pulses can be from 0.5μs to 2μs. Therefore, the voltage rise time may be approximately 300ns or less. It is easily seen that Vouta rises much faster than the voltages Voutc and Voutd of the corresponding circuits and systems in Figures 5c and 5d. Therefore, the module, circuit, embodiment, and system of Figure 5a have advantages compared to the circuits of Figures 5c and 5d. Furthermore, it is easily seen that Vouta does not rise faster than the voltage Voutb of the corresponding circuit and system in Figure 5b. However, the voltage Voutb in Figure 5b shows significant overvoltage fluctuations, and the voltage Vouta is not shown in Figure 5a. Therefore, the module, circuit, embodiment, and system of Figure 5a have advantages in terms of high-speed switching with reduced overshoot and reduced vibration compared to the circuit of Figure 5b.

Claims

1. An energy resupply module (15) for a switching circuit (101) having a switching unit (24), The switching unit is connectable to a DC voltage source (V1) and is configured to deliver one or a combination of the following features to its output (OUT): i) Voltage value, ii) Voltage rise value, iii) Current value for capacitive load, And, The aforementioned energy resupply module (15) a. A rectifier circuit (14) configured such that its positive terminal on the DC side is connected to the positive connection of the DC voltage source (V1), and its negative terminal on the DC side is connected to the negative connection of the DC voltage source (V1), b. A transformer (TF1), i. It is configured to be connected in series between the switching unit (24) and the output (OUT), and has the following characteristics, namely, - Voltage value, - Voltage rise value, - Current value A primary winding (18) configured to have both a stray inductance and a parasitic resistance that leads to one or a combination of the above, ii. The secondary winding (19) connected to the AC side of the rectifier circuit (14), A transformer (TF1) equipped with, An energy resupply module (15) equipped with the following:

2. The energy resupply module (15) according to claim 1, wherein the transformer (TF1) is a step-up transformer.

3. The energy resupply module (15) according to claim 1, wherein the rectifier circuit (14) comprises two components configured to conduct current in only one direction.

4. The energy resupply module (15) according to claim 1, wherein an overvoltage protection unit is configured to be connected between the output (OUT) and the positive terminal on the DC side of the rectifier circuit (14) in order to protect the load (12) from overvoltage.

5. The energy resupply module (15) according to claim 4, having a first damping resistor R1 connected in series with the overvoltage protection unit.

6. The energy resupply module (15) according to claim 1, wherein the negative voltage protection unit is configured to be connected between the output (OUT) and the negative connection of the DC voltage source (V1) in order to protect the load (12) from negative voltage.

7. The energy resupply module (15) according to claim 6, further comprising a second damping resistor (R2) connected in series with the negative voltage protection unit.

8. A switching circuit (101, 301, 401) configured to deliver high-voltage (HV) fast rise pulses to a plasma processing load (12), a. A switching unit (24) comprising a series connection of a high-side switching element (S1) and a low-side switching element (S2), a connection point (16) of both switching elements (S1, S2), a low-side connection (25) and a high-side connection (26), wherein the low-side connection and high-side connections (25, 26) are connected to a voltage source (V1), b. The energy resupply module (15) according to claim 1, i. The rectifier circuit (14) whose DC side is connected to the voltage source (V1), ii. The primary winding (18) of the transformer (TF1) connected in series between the output (OUT) and the connection point (16) between the high-side switching element (S1) and the low-side switching element (S2), iii. The secondary winding (19) connected to the AC side of the rectifier circuit (14), An energy resupply module (15) having, A switching circuit (101, 301, 401) is provided.

9. The switching circuit (101, 301, 401) according to claim 8, wherein diodes (D1, D2) are connected in parallel to one of the switching elements (S1, S2).

10. The switching circuit (101, 301, 401) according to claim 8, wherein at least one overvoltage protection unit is connected between the output (OUT) and at least one connection of the voltage source (V1).

11. Switching embodiment (311, 411), a. A certain switching unit (324, ... 324i, ... 324n, 424, ... 424i, ... 424n) as described in feature a of claim 8, b. At least one switching circuit (301) according to claim 8, It has, c. The switching unit (324, ... 324i, ... 324n, 424, ... 424i, ... 424n) is connected in series with one voltage source connection point of one switching circuit (301, 301i, 401i, 401n) which is connected to the output (OUT) of the next switching circuit (301i, 301n, 401, 401i) in the series connection line. Switching embodiment (311, 411).

12. A plasma system (100, 300, 400), with a plasma load (12, 312, 412), a. The switching circuit (101, 301, 401) according to claim 8, and / or b. The switching embodiment (311, 411) described in claim 11, Plasma systems (100, 300, 400) equipped with these features.

13. A method for generating a rectangular voltage output pulse (Vout) for a plasma processing load (12) using an energy resupply module (15) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, a. A step of generating a high-voltage (HV) pulse signal at the output (OUT) of a switching circuit (10) using a series connection of a high-side switching element (S1) and a low-side switching element (S2) connected to a voltage source (V1), b. Providing the HV pulse signal to the output (OUT) via the primary winding of the transformer (TF1), c. The step of rectifying the current induced in the secondary winding of the transformer (TF1), Methods that include...

14. The vibration a. Overvoltage protection unit, and / or b. Reduced by providing a negative voltage protection unit, The method according to claim 13.

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