Flexible drive and regulation device and method for multiple pulse signals

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of radio-frequency power supplies, and discloses a flexible drive and regulation device and method for multiple pulse signals, for use in solving the problem that two pulse signals of different levels are prone to conflict during a switching process, resulting in all switching transistors in a power amplifier being turned on. In the device, a multi-pulse generator generates multiple levels of pulse signals; a switcher switches the pulse signals output by the multi-pulse generator; during a switching transition period for the multiple levels of pulse signals, a switching enable controller generates pulse switching regulation signals stage by stage on the basis of the levels of pulse signals prior to and subsequent to switching, so as to control at least one of a power output and a frequency output to gradually ramp up or ramp down; and generates control signals for a power amplifier stage by stage on the basis of the pulse switching regulation signals generated stage by stage; and the power amplifier of a radio-frequency power supply drives the radio-frequency power supply on the basis of the control signals for the power amplifier, and correspondingly regulates the output power and frequency of the radio-frequency power supply stage by stage during the switching transition period for the multiple levels of pulse signals.

Description

A flexible drive adjustment device and method using multi-pulse signals Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of radio frequency power supply technology, and in particular to a flexible drive adjustment device and method for multi-pulse signals. Background Technology

[0002] A typical RF power supply mainly includes an ADC module, a power amplifier, a VI sensor, and a main control module. The power amplifier primarily consists of an inverter and a transformer, with filters added when necessary. The inverter in the power amplifier often uses an H-bridge inverter circuit. However, during pulse switching, multiple switches in the H-bridge inverter circuit can become fully conductive due to continuous current, causing circuit damage.

[0003] To address the problem that existing RF power supplies are prone to circuit damage during pulse switching, patent application number 202311638758.3 proposes a multi-pulse drive generator for RF power supplies. During the switching process of multi-level pulse signals, the control signal of the inverter output by the inverter controller is set to zero according to the low potential of the set time width provided by the encoder, and the switching transistor of the inverter is turned off, thereby avoiding the full conduction of the H-bridge circuit.

[0004] While the above solution can address the issue of circuit damage during pulse switching in RF power supplies to some extent, it also presents challenges during multi-stage pulse signal switching. The lack of continuity in the waveforms of the control signals and the control of the switching transistors can lead to conflicts between two dissimilar pulse signals, potentially causing all switching transistors in the bridge circuit to conduct. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Based on the above analysis, the embodiments of this application aim to provide a multi-pulse signal flexible drive adjustment device and method to solve the problem in the prior art where conflicts easily occur during the switching process of two different pulse signals, resulting in the conduction of all switching transistors in the power amplifier.

[0006] On one hand, this application discloses a multi-pulse signal flexible drive adjustment device, the device comprising a multi-pulse generator, a switcher, and a switching enable controller connected in sequence, wherein the output terminal of the switching enable controller is connected to a power amplifier of an RF power supply; wherein,

[0007] The multi-pulse generator is used to generate multi-level pulse signals, with each level of pulse signal having a different voltage and frequency;

[0008] The switcher is used to switch the pulse signal output by the multi-pulse generator; during the multi-level pulse signal switching transition:

[0009] The switching enable controller generates pulse switching adjustment signals in stages according to the level of the pulse signals before and after switching, so as to control at least one of the output power and frequency to gradually increase or decrease in a ramp manner; and generates control signals for the power amplifier in stages according to the pulse switching adjustment signals generated in stages.

[0010] The power amplifier of the radio frequency power supply drives the radio frequency power supply based on the control signal of the power amplifier generated in stages, and adjusts the output power and frequency of the radio frequency power supply in stages during the transition of multi-level pulse signal switching.

[0011] Based on the above solution, this solution also makes the following improvements:

[0012] Furthermore, in the switching enable controller, the step-by-step generation of the pulse switching adjustment signal includes: generating the pulse frequency and pulse voltage of the pulse switching adjustment signal step by step.

[0013] Furthermore, the pulse frequency of the step-by-step generation of pulse switching adjustment signals is executed as follows:

[0014] Based on the deviation between the frequencies of the pulse signals before and after the switch, the pulse frequency of the pulse switching adjustment signal is smoothly adjusted by gradually increasing or decreasing it in each stage.

[0015] Furthermore, the pulse voltage of the step-by-step generation of pulse switching adjustment signals is executed as follows:

[0016] Based on the voltage deviation between the pulse signals of the two levels before and after the switch, the pulse voltage of the pulse switching adjustment signal is smoothly adjusted by gradually increasing or decreasing it in each stage.

[0017] Furthermore, the duty cycle of the transition time of the switching transition does not exceed a specific proportion of the period of the reference signal; or, the transition time of the switching transition does not exceed a specific duration.

[0018] Furthermore, the transition time of the switching transition spans the switching moments of the pulse signals before and after the switching.

[0019] Furthermore, during the non-switching transition of multi-level pulse signals:

[0020] The switching enable controller generates a control signal for the power amplifier based on the received pulse signal;

[0021] The power amplifier of the radio frequency power supply drives the radio frequency power supply based on the control signal of the power amplifier output by the switching enable controller, and controls the output power and frequency of the radio frequency power supply during the non-switching transition of the multi-level pulse signal.

[0022] Furthermore, during the period when the RF power supply is not operating,

[0023] The switching enable controller sets the control signal of the power amplifier to zero;

[0024] The power amplifier of the RF power supply stops driving the RF power supply according to the control signal of the power amplifier that has been set to zero.

[0025] Furthermore, the switching enable controller includes an encoder, a pulse switching adjustment signal generator, a pulse signal converter, and a power amplifier controller; wherein,

[0026] The encoder is used to output a high or low potential;

[0027] A pulse switching adjustment signal generator is used to generate pulse switching adjustment signals in stages according to the levels of the pulse signals before and after the switching during the transition of multi-level pulse signal switching.

[0028] The pulse signal converter is used to convert the pulse switching adjustment signal generated in stages during the multi-level pulse signal switching transition to obtain the power amplifier control reference signal; it is also used to convert the pulse signal input to the switch during the non-switching transition of the multi-level pulse signal to obtain the power amplifier control reference signal; while during the period when the RF power supply stops working, the input pulse signal is set to zero, and the power amplifier control reference signal is set to zero.

[0029] The power amplifier controller is used to output the power amplifier control reference signal as the control signal of the power amplifier to the switching transistor in the power amplifier for power driving, based on the high potential of the set time width provided by the encoder during the multi-level pulse signal switching transition and the non-switching transition of the multi-level pulse signal; while during the period when the RF power supply stops working, the input pulse signal is set to zero, and the control signal of the power amplifier output by the power amplifier controller is set to zero according to the low potential of the set time width provided by the encoder, thereby turning off the switching transistor in the power amplifier.

[0030] Furthermore, the switching enable controller also includes a switching transition controller;

[0031] The switching transition controller is used to control the switcher to connect to the pulse signal converter via the pulse switching adjustment signal generator during the multi-level pulse signal switching transition; it is also used to control the switcher to connect to the pulse signal converter during the non-switching transition of the multi-level pulse signal.

[0032] On the other hand, this application also discloses a multi-pulse signal flexible drive adjustment method, the method comprising:

[0033] During the RF power supply period, based on the reference signal, a multi-pulse generator is used to output pulse signals at various stages;

[0034] During the transition of multi-level pulse signal switching, pulse switching adjustment signals are generated in stages according to the level of pulse signals before and after switching, so as to control at least one of the output power and frequency to gradually increase or decrease in a ramp manner; and according to the pulse switching adjustment signals generated in stages, control signals of the power amplifier are generated in stages to adjust the output power and frequency of the RF power supply in stages during the transition of multi-level pulse signal switching.

[0035] During the non-switching transition of multi-stage pulse signals, a control signal for the power amplifier is generated based on the currently accessed pulse signal to control the output power and frequency of the RF power supply during the non-switching transition of multi-stage pulse signals.

[0036] Based on the above solution, this solution also makes the following improvements:

[0037] Furthermore, the method also includes:

[0038] During the period when the RF power supply is not working, the control signal of the power amplifier is set to zero to stop driving the RF power supply.

[0039] Compared with the prior art, this application can achieve at least one of the following beneficial effects:

[0040] The multi-pulse signal flexible drive adjustment device provided in this application can realize the smooth transition and flexible adjustment of multi-level pulse signals during the switching process, so that the RF power supply can still operate stably during pulse switching overshoot. It effectively avoids the situation that two different pulse signals are prone to conflict during the switching process, and solves the problem of the full switching of the bridge circuit caused by this. It is suitable for various types of RF power supplies or combinations of RF power supplies.

[0041] In addition, this application also provides a specific structure of the switching enable controller. This circuit structure can adapt to different control requirements in different scenarios. The circuit structure is simple and the control logic is rigorous, which ensures the provision of reliable and stable power amplifier control signals and provides technical guidance for those skilled in the art to implement this solution.

[0042] Finally, when using multi-pulse signals with three or more levels, the number of levels can be flexibly selected according to actual needs. When using two-level pulse signals, ionization and processing are performed during the high-excitation period of the pulse, and the plasma ionization state is maintained during the low-excitation period of the pulse, ensuring stable operation during pulse switching.

[0043] The multi-pulse signal flexible drive adjustment method provided in this application is implemented using the same technical concept as the above-mentioned device and has the corresponding technical effects.

[0044] In this application, the above-described technical solutions can be combined with each other to achieve more preferred combinations. Other features and advantages of this application will be set forth in the following description, and some advantages may become apparent from the description or be learned by practicing this application. The objectives and other advantages of this invention can be realized and obtained from the specific points highlighted in the description and drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0045] The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this application. Throughout the drawings, the same reference numerals denote the same parts.

[0046] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the first structure of the multi-pulse signal flexible drive adjustment device provided in Embodiment 1 of this application;

[0047] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the second structure of the multi-pulse signal flexible drive adjustment device provided in Embodiment 1 of this application;

[0048] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the third structure of the multi-pulse signal flexible drive adjustment device provided in Embodiment 1 of this application;

[0049] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the fourth structure of the multi-pulse signal flexible drive adjustment device provided in Embodiment 1 of this application;

[0050] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the fifth structure of the multi-pulse signal flexible drive adjustment device provided in Embodiment 1 of this application;

[0051] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the sixth structure of the multi-pulse signal flexible drive adjustment device provided in Embodiment 1 of this application;

[0052] Figure 7 is a timing diagram of the drive control of the multi-pulse signal flexible drive adjustment device provided in Embodiment 1 of this application;

[0053] Figure 8 shows the single-phase power input RF power supply provided in Embodiment 1 of this application;

[0054] Figure 9 shows the radio frequency power supply with three-phase power input provided in Embodiment 1 of this application;

[0055] Figure 10 is a flowchart of the multi-pulse signal flexible drive adjustment method provided in Embodiment 2 of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0056] The preferred embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which constitute a part of this application and are used together with the embodiments of this application to illustrate the principles of this application, but are not intended to limit the scope of this application.

[0057] Example 1

[0058] A specific embodiment of this application discloses a flexible drive adjustment device for multi-pulse signals, as shown in Figure 1. The device includes a multi-pulse generator, a switcher, and a switching enable controller connected sequentially. The output of the switching enable controller is connected to a power amplifier of an RF power supply. The multi-pulse generator generates multi-level pulse signals, each with different voltages and frequencies. The switcher switches the pulse signals output from the multi-pulse generator. It should be noted that in this embodiment, the switching enable controller can control the signal during the multi-level pulse signal switching transition, the non-switching transition period, and when the RF power supply is not operating. This embodiment focuses on improving the control function of the switching enable controller during the multi-level pulse signal switching transition, specifically during the multi-level pulse signal switching transition period:

[0059] The switching enable controller generates pulse switching adjustment signals in stages according to the level of the pulse signals before and after the switching, so as to control at least one of the output power and frequency to gradually increase or decrease in a ramp manner; and generates control signals for the power amplifier in stages according to the pulse switching adjustment signals generated in stages.

[0060] The power amplifier of the RF power supply drives the RF power supply based on the control signals of the power amplifier generated in stages, and adjusts the output power and frequency of the RF power supply in stages during the transition of multi-stage pulse signal switching.

[0061] Compared with the prior art, this embodiment improves the control method of the switching enable controller during the transition of multi-level pulse signals, enabling it to control the power output to gradually increase or decrease in a ramp manner, and gradually generate pulse switching adjustment signals in stages. This enables a smooth transition between two different pulse signals during the switching process, thereby achieving flexible drive adjustment of multi-pulse signals. It effectively avoids the conflict that easily occurs between two different pulse signals during the switching process, and well solves the problem of all switching transistors in the power amplifier being turned on.

[0062] First, this embodiment provides a detailed description of the control method of the switching enable controller during the transition of multi-level pulse signal switching: Preferably, in the switching enable controller, pulse switching adjustment signals are generated in stages, including: the pulse frequency and pulse voltage of the pulse switching adjustment signals are generated in stages.

[0063] Specifically, the pulse frequency of the pulse switching adjustment signal is generated stage by stage, and the following steps are performed: based on the deviation between the frequencies of the pulse signals before and after the switch, the pulse frequency of the pulse switching adjustment signal is smoothly adjusted by gradually increasing or decreasing it in each stage. Specifically, the pulse voltage of the pulse switching adjustment signal is generated stage by stage, and the following steps are performed: based on the deviation between the voltages of the pulse signals before and after the switch, the pulse voltage of the pulse switching adjustment signal is smoothly adjusted by gradually increasing or decreasing it in each stage.

[0064] Furthermore, in specific implementation, the duty cycle of the switching transition time does not exceed a specific proportion; or, the switching transition time does not exceed a specific duration. The switching transition time spans the switching moments of the pulse signals before and after the switching.

[0065] The following is a detailed explanation of the control method of the switching enable controller during the non-switching transition of multi-level pulse signals: The switching enable controller directly generates the control signal of the power amplifier based on the input pulse signal; at this time, the power amplifier of the RF power supply drives the RF power supply based on the control signal of the power amplifier output by the switching enable controller, thereby controlling the output power and frequency of the RF power supply during the non-switching transition of multi-level pulse signals.

[0066] The following is a detailed explanation of the control method of the switching enable controller during the period when the RF power supply is not working: The switching enable controller directly sets the control signal of the power amplifier to zero; at this time, the power amplifier of the RF power supply stops driving the RF power supply according to the control signal of the power amplifier that has been set to zero.

[0067] Based on the functions of the switching enable controller in the aforementioned different scenarios, the composition of the switching enable controller is described in detail below. The switching enable controller includes an encoder, a pulse switching adjustment signal generator, a pulse signal converter, and a power amplifier controller. The structural schematic diagram of the multi-pulse signal flexible drive adjustment device is shown in Figure 2. The encoder outputs a high potential (representing digital signal 1) or a low potential (representing digital signal 0). The pulse switching adjustment signal generator generates pulse switching adjustment signals stage by stage during the multi-level pulse signal switching transition, based on the levels of the pulse signals before and after the switching. The pulse signal converter converts the pulse switching adjustment signals generated stage by stage during the multi-level pulse signal switching transition to obtain the power amplifier control reference signal; it also converts the pulse signals input to the switch during the non-switching transition period of the multi-level pulse signals to obtain the power amplifier control reference signal; and during the period when the RF power supply stops working, the input pulse signals are set to zero, and the power amplifier control reference signal is also set to zero. A power amplifier controller is used to output a power amplifier control reference signal as the control signal to the switching transistor in the power amplifier during the multi-stage pulse signal switching transition and the non-switching transition, based on a high potential with a set time width provided by the encoder, for power driving. During the period when the RF power supply is not working, the input pulse signal is set to zero, and the control signal output by the power amplifier controller is set to zero based on a low potential with a set time width provided by the encoder, thus turning off the switching transistor in the power amplifier. Preferably, the switching enable controller also includes a switching transition controller. In this case, the structural schematic diagram of the multi-pulse signal flexible drive adjustment device is shown in Figure 3. The switching transition controller is used to control the switcher to connect to the pulse signal converter via the pulse switching adjustment signal generator during the multi-stage pulse signal switching transition; it is also used to control the switcher to directly connect to the pulse signal converter during the non-switching transition of the multi-stage pulse signal.

[0068] Preferably, the pulse signal converter includes a DAC module, a first inverting module, a filtering module, a comparator module, and a second inverting module arranged sequentially. The structural schematic of the multi-pulse signal flexible drive adjustment device is shown in Figure 4. In Figure 4, the switcher outputs the input pulse signal in digital form; the pulse signal converter outputs the pulse switching adjustment signal generated in stages in digital form; the DAC module converts the input pulse signal or the pulse switching adjustment signal generated in stages into an analog signal, serving as a positive-phase analog signal; the first inverting module inverts the positive-phase analog signal to obtain an inverted analog signal; the filtering module filters both the positive-phase and inverted analog signals; the comparator module compares the filtered positive-phase and inverted analog signals to obtain a comparison signal, serving as a positive-phase comparison signal; the second inverting module inverts the positive-phase comparison signal to obtain an inverted comparison signal; and the positive-phase and inverted comparison signals are combined to obtain the power amplifier control reference signal.

[0069] For example, the power amplifier can be implemented using an inverter architecture. Preferably, the inverter is an H-bridge inverter, where H1 / H2 is one half-bridge control path of the H-bridge, and H3 / H4 is the other half-bridge control path. The multi-pulse generator includes N levels of pulse generators for generating pulse signals from LV1 to LVN; wherein, the pulse generator at level LVn includes LVn-H1 / H2 modules and LVn-H3 / H4 modules; the LVn-H1 / H2 module and the LVn-H3 / H4 module generate pulse signals at level LVn that drive the H1 / H2 half-bridge control path and the H3 / H4 half-bridge control path of the H-bridge inverter, respectively; the value of n is from 1 to N. Preferably, the switcher includes linked switching switch group T1 and switching switch group T2. At this time, the structural schematic diagram of the multi-pulse signal flexible drive adjustment device is shown in Figure 5. Switching switch group T1 includes N switches: switches T1-LV1-H1 / H2 to T1-LVN-H1 / H2; among which, switch T1-LVn-H1 / H2 is used to control the operation of the LVn-H1 / H2 module; switching switch group T2 includes N switches: switches T2-LV1-H3 / H4 to T2-LVN-H3 / H4; among which, switch T2-LVn-H3 / H4 is used to control the operation of the LVn-H3 / H4 module; when switching to a pulse signal of level LVn, switches T1-LVn-H1 / H2 and T2-LVn-H3 / H4 of the pulse signal of level LVn are closed in conjunction, and the remaining switches are opened. In Figure 5, the DAC module includes a first DAC unit and a second DAC unit; the first inverting module includes a first inverter and a second inverter; the filtering module includes a first filter, a second filter, a third filter, and a fourth filter; the comparison module includes a first differential comparator and a second differential comparator; and the second inverting module includes a third inverter and a fourth inverter. During the non-switching transition of the multi-stage pulse signal, the switching transition controller controls the output of the switching switch group T1 to be directly connected to the input of the first DAC unit; while during the switching transition of the multi-stage pulse signal, the switching transition controller controls the output of the switching switch group T1 to be connected to the input of the first DAC unit via the pulse switching adjustment signal generator. One output of the first DAC unit is connected to the input of the first filter, and the other output is connected to the input of the second filter after being inverted by the first inverter. The outputs of the first filter and the second filter are respectively connected to the non-inverting input and the inverting input of the first differential comparator; the output of the first differential comparator is connected to the input of the third inverter. During the non-switching transition of the multi-level pulse signal, the switching transition controller also controls the output of the switching switch group T2 to be connected to the input of the second DAC unit; while during the switching transition of the multi-level pulse signal, the switching transition controller also controls the output of the switching switch group T2 to be connected to the input of the second DAC unit via the pulse switching adjustment signal generator.One output of the second DAC unit is connected to the input of the third filter, and the other output is connected to the input of the fourth filter after being inverted by the second inverter. The outputs of the third and fourth filters are connected to the non-inverting and inverting inputs of the second differential comparator, respectively. The output of the second differential comparator is connected to the input of the fourth inverter. The four signals output from the first differential comparator, the third inverter, the second differential comparator, and the fourth inverter are combined to form the power amplifier control reference signal.

[0070] Preferably, the power amplifier controller includes a first AND gate, a second AND gate, a third AND gate, and a fourth AND gate; in this case, the structural schematic diagram of the multi-pulse signal flexible drive adjustment device is shown in Figure 6. The output terminal of the first differential comparator is connected to the first input terminal of the first AND gate, the output terminal of the third inverter is connected to the first input terminal of the second AND gate, the output terminal of the second differential comparator is connected to the first input terminal of the third AND gate, and the output terminal of the fourth inverter is connected to the first input terminal of the fourth AND gate; the second input terminals of the first, second, third, and fourth AND gates are respectively connected to the output terminals of the encoder; the output terminals of the first, second, third, and fourth AND gates are respectively connected to the control terminals of H1, H2, H3, and H4.

[0071] Preferably, in the multi-level pulse signals generated by the multi-pulse generator, at least two levels of pulse signals are enabled; simultaneously, during the switching process of the multi-level pulse signals, only the enabled levels of pulse signals are switched. That is, when the total number of levels of all pulse signals generated by the multi-pulse generator is N, let the number of enabled pulse signal levels be m, 2≤m≤N; during the switching process of the multi-level pulse signals, only the enabled m-level pulse signals are switched. Furthermore, within one cycle of the reference signal, the sum of the total running time of the enabled levels of pulse signals and the total running time of the encoder maintaining a low level is less than the running time of one cycle of the reference signal. It should be noted that in this embodiment, the multi-level pulse signals generated by the multi-pulse generator are stored in an FPGA, MCU, or similar electronic computing device that can read parameters and output parameters corresponding to signals. The switching between the multi-level pulse signals is processed internally by the FPGA, which is a soft-controlled switching output; it can also be a standard signal generation circuit; or it can be a software-hardware hybrid module. In specific implementation, the multi-pulse generator generates at least two levels of pulse signals, including a high-excitation pulse signal and a low-excitation pulse signal. Among them, the high-excitation pulse signal is used for ignition, ionization and process operation, while the low-excitation pulse signal is used to maintain the two levels of ionization energy.

[0072] Below, assuming the reference signal frequency is 1KHz and the duty cycle is 50% (represented as REF-1KHz-50%), and taking the two-stage pulse signal switching as an example, the operation process of the multi-pulse signal flexible drive adjustment device will be explained.

[0073] The control data of the corresponding level H1 / H2 / H3 / H4 is selected according to the level of the pulse signal. In this embodiment, the control method corresponding to the pulse signal of level LV1 for H1 / H2 / H3 / H4 is represented as path A, and the control method corresponding to the pulse signal of level LV2 for H1 / H2 / H3 / H4 is represented as path B. In this embodiment, the OR switching of path A / B and the 0-1 switching process of ENC are driven and controlled with reference to the reference signal. The timing diagram of the drive control of the multi-pulse signal flexible drive adjustment device is shown in Figure 7. In Figure 7, the duty cycle of the alternating ramp-type smooth switching of path A and path B does not exceed 1% of the period of the reference signal, and in principle, the smaller the better. The timing diagram in Figure 7 is explained as follows:

[0074] (1) When the reference signal is kept at a high level (belonging to the non-switching transition period of multi-level pulse signal), the ENC outputs a high level, so that the on / off state of the switching transistor in the power amplifier matches that of path A, and the power amplifier is driven by the pulse signal LV1 corresponding to the path A.

[0075] (2) When the reference signal switches from high level to low level (during the transition period of multi-level pulse signal switching), the ENC outputs a high level, and the switching enable controller controls the power output to gradually increase or decrease in a ramp-like manner, generating pulse switching adjustment signals in stages to match the levels of the pulse signals before and after the switch. When the voltage and frequency of the pulse signal LV2 corresponding to the level of the switched path B are lower than LV1, the switching enable controller controls the power output to gradually decrease in a ramp-like manner to match the levels of the pulse signals before and after the switch.

[0076] Specifically, the basic RF power signal switches between LV1 and LV2, and the output forms the corresponding power and frequency output based on the basic signals LV1 / LV2. During the switching between LV1 and LV2, there is a very short duty cycle time as a transition period for power switching, i.e., the transition period of multi-level pulse signal switching. During this transition period, the power output will gradually increase or decrease in a ramp-like manner to transition from the current pulse signal level to another pulse signal level. In specific implementation, the pulse frequency transition is obtained by adjusting the switching frequency of the switching transistor, and the pulse potential (or amplitude) transition is obtained by adjusting the duty cycle of the pulse signals generated by each power amplifier.

[0077] For example, assuming pulse signal LV1 is 1000V-600KHz and pulse signal LV2 is 500V-400KHz, when the pulse output of pulse signal LV1 is modulated to the pulse output of pulse signal LV2, the switching transition from pulse signal LV1 to pulse signal LV2 is achieved by controlling the duty cycle of the output pulse of the power amplifier and controlling the switching frequency of the switching transistor.

[0078] For the pulse frequency, it can be changed in a ramp manner as follows: (1) by decreasing the frequency at a specific frequency in each stage, for example: by decreasing by 0.5KHz in each stage, 600KHz=>599.5KHz=>599KHz=>...=>401KHz=>400.5KHz=>400KHz; or, (2) by decreasing the frequency by a specific percentage in each stage, for example: by decreasing the frequency difference by 1% in each stage, 600KHz=>598KHz=>596KHz=>...=>404KHz=>402KHz=>400KHz.

[0079] For pulse potentials, they can be changed in a ramp manner as follows: (1) by decreasing the potential by a specific value for each stage, for example: by decreasing by 1.25V per stage, 1000V=>998.75V=>997.5V=>...=>502.5V=>501.25V=>500V; or, (2) by decreasing the potential by a specific percentage for each stage, for example: by decreasing the potential difference by 1% per stage, 1000V=>995V=>990V=>...=>515V=>510V=>500V.

[0080] Optionally, the duty cycle of the transition time does not exceed a specific proportion of the period of the reference signal, such as 1%; or, the transition time does not exceed a specific duration, such as 1ms. In either case, the smaller the better. Optionally, the transition time spans before and after the switching time point, such as before the end of LV1 and after the start of LV2, with each spanning 50% of the transition time. Other time ratios are also possible, or the entire time period may fall after the switching time of each LV. Optionally, the number of modulation stages and the change in stage values ​​are amortized by the transition time duration, or the value is adjusted according to a specific time ratio, for example, divided into two periods, 3:7, with each stage decreasing by 2 times the average value (1kHz / 2.5V) for the first 30% of the time, and decreasing by 0.6 times the average value (0.3kHz / 0.75V) for the latter 70% of the time.

[0081] (3) When the reference signal is kept high (belonging to the non-switching transition period of multi-level pulse signal), the ENC outputs a high level, so that the on / off state of the switching transistor in the power amplifier matches the switched path B, and the power amplifier is driven by the pulse signal LV2 corresponding to the path B.

[0082] (4) During the period when the RF power supply is not working, the ENC output is low, which turns off all the switching transistors in the power amplifier and the power amplifier outputs zero potential.

[0083] When the RF power supply stops working, it stops controlling the switching transistors. In principle, the power amplifier's power output should be zero. However, in actual circuits, due to freewheeling, various circuit magnetic induction issues, etc., the switching transistors may have a slight output, resulting in a small power output from the entire RF power supply. Therefore, the operation of the switching transistors is limited by the encoder ENC. The encoder ENC is normally 1. The output of ENC is ANDed with the fundamental signal as an input to a logic gate, controlling the power amplifier according to the fundamental signal. When any input to the AND gate is 0, the output is 0. Therefore, when ENC is 0, it will be 0 regardless of which fundamental signal output it is connected to. Thus, when the RF power supply shuts off the power output, ENC is adjusted to 0 potential. At this time, the switching transistor control of the bridge circuit is also limited to 0, and the power amplifier has no output, thus strictly controlling the zero power output of the RF power supply.

[0084] Based on the above waveform variation examples, it can be seen that the H-bridge switches in the multi-pulse signal flexible drive regulation device do not experience full conduction during actual operation. The above method applies to both single-phase and three-phase power inputs. The RF power supplies for single-phase and three-phase power inputs are shown in Figures 8 and 9, respectively. Figures 8 and 9 also illustrate the inverter structure within the RF power supply.

[0085] When switching to path A, paths A1 (LV1-H1 / H2) and A2 (LV1-H3 / H4) alternate based on the frequency of the pulse signal LV1. The switching switch can be software-based or hardware-based. As shown in Figure 6, when path A1 is active, the FPGA outputs a control signal X from H1 / H2 of LV1. Signal X is a digital signal, converted to an analog signal X' by the DAC module. The analog signal X' is split into two paths: one path passes through a NOT gate to form two inverting signals X1 and X2. These two signals are filtered and input to a differential comparator to obtain a control signal Y. Signal Y is also split into two paths: one path passes through a NOT gate to form two inverting signals Y1 and Y2, used to control H1 and H2 of the same half-bridge. Similarly, when path A2 is active, the FPGA outputs a control signal from H3 / H4 of LV1 in the same manner to control H3 and H4 of the same half-bridge. In principle, H1 and H3 conduct with the same duty cycle, and H2 and H4 conduct with the same duty cycle. Similarly, when switching to path B, path B1 (LV2-H1 / H2) and path B2 (LV2-H3 / H4) will alternate paths according to frequency, causing H1 / H3 and H2 / H4 of LV2 to switch alternately. During the switching process of paths A / B, when paths A / B are physical circuits, they can also be integrated and replaced by path selectors.

[0086] In summary, the multi-pulse signal flexible drive adjustment device provided in this embodiment can achieve smooth transition and flexible adjustment of multi-level pulse signals during switching, enabling the RF power supply to operate stably even during pulse switching overshoot. It effectively avoids conflicts that easily arise during switching between two different pulse signals and solves the problem of full-switch conduction in the bridge circuit caused by this. It is suitable for various types of RF power supplies or combinations of RF power supplies. Furthermore, this embodiment also provides the specific structure of the switching enable controller. This circuit structure can adapt to different control requirements in different scenarios. The circuit structure is simple, and the control logic is rigorous, ensuring a reliable and stable power amplifier control signal and providing technical guidance for those skilled in the art to implement this solution. Finally, when using three or more levels of multi-pulse signals, the number of levels can be flexibly selected according to actual needs. When using two levels of pulse signals, ionization and processing are performed during the high-excitation period of the pulse, and the plasma ionization state is maintained during the low-excitation period of the pulse, ensuring stable operation during pulse switching.

[0087] Example 2

[0088] Specific embodiment 2 of this application discloses a multi-pulse signal flexible drive adjustment method, the flowchart of which is shown in Figure 10. The method includes:

[0089] Step S1: During the RF power supply period, based on the reference signal, a multi-pulse generator is used to output pulse signals at various stages.

[0090] Before step S1, i.e., before the RF power supply, the following steps are also included: setting a reference signal, and determining the total number of pulse signal levels, as well as the output power and frequency of each pulse signal level, based on the reference signal; wherein the output power and frequency of each pulse signal level are different. It should also be noted that in this embodiment, the power amplifier is preferably implemented using an inverter architecture, specifically an H-bridge inverter. H1 / H2 is one half-bridge control path of the H-bridge, and H3 / H4 is the other half-bridge control path. The multi-pulse generator includes N levels of pulse generators used to generate pulse signals from level LV1 to LVN. The pulse generator at level LVn generates pulse signals of level LVn that drive the H1 / H2 and H3 / H4 half-bridge control paths of the H-bridge inverter, respectively; the value of n is from 1 to N.

[0091] Once the pulse signals at each level are set, the multi-pulse generator can generate the set pulse signals at each level based on the reference signal when the RF power supply is on.

[0092] Step S2: During the multi-level pulse signal switching transition, pulse switching adjustment signals are generated in stages according to the level of the pulse signals before and after the switching, so as to control at least one of the output power and frequency to gradually increase or decrease in a ramp manner; and according to the pulse switching adjustment signals generated in stages, control signals for the power amplifier are generated in stages to adjust the output power and frequency of the RF power supply in stages during the multi-level pulse signal switching transition.

[0093] The specific implementation process of step S2 is explained as follows:

[0094] Step S21: During the transition of multi-level pulse signal switching, set the encoder output to a high potential;

[0095] Step S22: Generate pulse switching adjustment signals in stages according to the levels of pulse signals before and after the switching;

[0096] Step S23: Convert the pulse switching adjustment signal generated in stages during the multi-level pulse signal switching transition to obtain the power amplifier control reference signal;

[0097] Step S24: Perform an AND operation between the encoder output potential and the power amplifier control reference signal to generate the power amplifier control signal.

[0098] Step S3: During the non-switching transition of the multi-stage pulse signal, the control signal of the power amplifier is directly generated according to the currently connected pulse signal to control the output power and frequency of the RF power supply during the non-switching transition of the multi-stage pulse signal.

[0099] The specific implementation process of step S3 is explained as follows:

[0100] Step S31: During the non-switching transition of the multi-level pulse signal, set the encoder output to a high potential;

[0101] Step S32: The directly input pulse signal generates the control signal for the power amplifier;

[0102] Step S33: Convert the pulse signal input to the switch during the non-switching transition of the multi-level pulse signal to obtain the power amplifier control reference signal;

[0103] Step S34: Perform an AND operation between the encoder output potential and the power amplifier control reference signal to generate the power amplifier control signal.

[0104] The method also includes:

[0105] Step S4: During the period when the RF power supply is not working, directly set the control signal of the power amplifier to zero to stop driving the RF power supply.

[0106] Step S41: Set the encoder output to a low potential during the period when the RF power supply is not working;

[0107] Step S42: At this time, the input pulse signal is set to zero, the power amplifier control reference signal is set to zero, the low potential output by the encoder is ANDed with the power amplifier control reference signal, the resulting control signal of the power amplifier is set to zero, and the switching transistor of the power amplifier is turned off to stop driving the RF power supply.

[0108] For details on the implementation of the method embodiments of this application, please refer to the above-described device embodiments; further details will not be repeated here.

[0109] Since this method embodiment is based on the same principle as the above-described device embodiment, this method also has the corresponding technical effects of the above-described device embodiment.

[0110] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the processes of the methods described in the above embodiments can be implemented by a computer program instructing related hardware, and the program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium may be a disk, optical disk, read-only memory, or random access memory, etc.

[0111] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A multi-pulse signal flexible driving conditioning device, characterized in that, The device includes a multi-pulse generator, a switcher, and a switching enable controller connected in sequence, wherein the output of the switching enable controller is connected to a power amplifier of the radio frequency power supply; wherein... The multi-pulse generator is used to generate multi-level pulse signals, with each level of pulse signal having a different voltage and frequency; The switcher is used to switch the pulse signal output by the multi-pulse generator; during the multi-level pulse signal switching transition: The switching enable controller generates pulse switching adjustment signals in stages according to the level of the pulse signals before and after switching, so as to control at least one of the output power and frequency to gradually increase or decrease in a ramp manner; and generates control signals for the power amplifier in stages according to the pulse switching adjustment signals generated in stages. The power amplifier of the radio frequency power supply drives the radio frequency power supply based on the control signal of the power amplifier generated in stages, and adjusts the output power and frequency of the radio frequency power supply in stages during the transition of multi-level pulse signal switching.

2. The multi-pulse signal flexible drive conditioning apparatus of claim 1, wherein, In the switching enable controller, the step-by-step generation of pulse switching adjustment signals includes: generating the pulse frequency and pulse voltage of the pulse switching adjustment signals step by step.

3. The multi-pulse signal flexible drive conditioning apparatus of claim 2, wherein, The pulse frequency of the pulse switching adjustment signal generated in stages is executed as follows: Based on the deviation between the frequencies of the pulse signals before and after the switch, the pulse frequency of the pulse switching adjustment signal is smoothly adjusted by gradually increasing or decreasing it in each stage.

4. The multi-pulse signal flexible drive conditioning apparatus of claim 3, wherein, The pulse voltage of the pulse switching adjustment signal generated in stages is executed as follows: Based on the voltage deviation between the pulse signals of the two levels before and after the switch, the pulse voltage of the pulse switching adjustment signal is smoothly adjusted by gradually increasing or decreasing it in each stage.

5. The multi-pulse signal flexible drive conditioning apparatus of claim 4, wherein, The duty cycle of the transition time of the switching transition does not exceed a specific proportion of the period of the reference signal; or, the transition time of the switching transition does not exceed a specific duration.

6. The multi-pulse signal flexible drive conditioning apparatus of claim 5, wherein, The transition time of the switching transition spans the switching moments of the pulse signals before and after the switching.

7. The multi-pulse signal flexible drive conditioning apparatus of any one of claims 1-6, wherein, During the non-switching transition of multi-level pulse signals: The switching enable controller generates a control signal for the power amplifier based on the received pulse signal; The power amplifier of the radio frequency power supply drives the radio frequency power supply based on the control signal of the power amplifier output by the switching enable controller, and controls the output power and frequency of the radio frequency power supply during the non-switching transition of the multi-level pulse signal.

8. The multi-pulse signal flexible drive conditioning apparatus of claim 7, wherein, During the period when the RF power supply is not working The switching enable controller sets the control signal of the power amplifier to zero; The power amplifier of the RF power supply stops driving the RF power supply according to the control signal of the power amplifier that has been set to zero.

9. The multi-pulse signal flexible drive conditioning apparatus of claim 8, wherein, The switching enable controller includes an encoder, a pulse switching adjustment signal generator, a pulse signal converter, and a power amplifier controller; wherein... The encoder is used to output a high or low potential; A pulse switching adjustment signal generator is used to generate pulse switching adjustment signals in stages according to the levels of the pulse signals before and after the switching during the transition of multi-level pulse signal switching. The pulse signal converter is used to convert the pulse switching adjustment signal generated in stages during the multi-level pulse signal switching transition to obtain the power amplifier control reference signal; it is also used to convert the pulse signal input to the switch during the non-switching transition of the multi-level pulse signal to obtain the power amplifier control reference signal; while during the period when the RF power supply stops working, the input pulse signal is set to zero, and the power amplifier control reference signal is set to zero. The power amplifier controller is used to output the power amplifier control reference signal as the control signal of the power amplifier to the switching transistor in the power amplifier for power driving, based on the high potential of the set time width provided by the encoder during the multi-level pulse signal switching transition and the non-switching transition of the multi-level pulse signal; while during the period when the RF power supply stops working, the input pulse signal is set to zero, and the control signal of the power amplifier output by the power amplifier controller is set to zero according to the low potential of the set time width provided by the encoder, thereby turning off the switching transistor in the power amplifier.

10. The multi-pulse signal flexible drive conditioning apparatus of claim 9, wherein, The switching enable controller also includes a switching transition controller; The switching transition controller is used to control the switcher to connect to the pulse signal converter via the pulse switching adjustment signal generator during the multi-level pulse signal switching transition; it is also used to control the switcher to connect to the pulse signal converter during the non-switching transition of the multi-level pulse signal.

11. A flexible drive adjustment method using multi-pulse signals, characterized in that, The method includes: During the RF power supply period, based on the reference signal, a multi-pulse generator is used to output pulse signals at various stages; During the transition of multi-level pulse signal switching, pulse switching adjustment signals are generated in stages according to the level of pulse signals before and after switching, so as to control at least one of the output power and frequency to gradually increase or decrease in a ramp manner; and according to the pulse switching adjustment signals generated in stages, control signals of the power amplifier are generated in stages to adjust the output power and frequency of the RF power supply in stages during the transition of multi-level pulse signal switching. During the non-switching transition of multi-stage pulse signals, a control signal for the power amplifier is generated based on the currently accessed pulse signal to control the output power and frequency of the RF power supply during the non-switching transition of multi-stage pulse signals.

12. The multi-pulse signal flexible drive adjustment method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The method further includes: During the period when the RF power supply is not working, the control signal of the power amplifier is set to zero to stop driving the RF power supply.

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