Microwave Supplying Apparatus for Uniform Plasma Generation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional microwave plasma systems face challenges in creating a large-area and uniform microwave field due to the short wavelength of microwaves, leading to non-uniform ionization and limited processing areas, requiring multiple microwave dividing devices to achieve uniform plasma distribution.
Innovation Solution
A microwave supplying apparatus comprising a microwave generator, multiple power dividers, and waveguides that distribute microwave energy in a Y-shaped configuration to provide a large-area and uniform microwave field, ensuring approximate intensity distributions across multiple waveguides connected to a plasma chamber.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional microwave field is used, then the microwave can be generated and transmitted, but the microwave field focuses at two points resulting in non-uniform plasma distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The microwave field is segmented into multiple independent waveguide channels (at least three waveguides) that separately transmit microwaves to different regions of the plasma chamber. This segmentation allows each waveguide to independently control the microwave distribution in its specific region, enabling uniform plasma generation across the entire large-area processing region without the focal point concentration problem of conventional single-mode waveguides.
2Power
If microwave wavelength is short, then the microwave can be generated efficiently, but it is difficult to form a large-area and uniform electromagnetic wave construction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a single-dimension conventional waveguide mode to a multi-dimensional waveguide array configuration. By arranging multiple waveguides in specific spatial configurations (different orientations and positions), the system achieves three-dimensional microwave field distribution that covers large areas uniformly, overcoming the limitation of short microwave wavelengths that cannot naturally form large-area uniform fields in conventional single-mode waveguides.
3Device complexity
If a single microwave generator is used, then the device is simple, but the area of the chamber corresponding to the single micro generator is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The microwave source system is segmented into multiple independent waveguide channels that can be connected to a single microwave generator through power dividers or independently to multiple generators. Each waveguide channel independently covers a specific chamber region, allowing the system to achieve large-area coverage by combining multiple segmented channels while maintaining relatively simple device structure through modular waveguide design.
4Area of stationary object
If conventional microwave dividing device is used, then the microwave can be divided to two directions, but many levels of microwave dividing devices are needed to satisfy large area plasma processes
Solution Approach 1:
The microwave distribution system is segmented into multiple parallel waveguide channels that directly transmit microwaves to different chamber regions without requiring multiple sequential dividing levels. This segmented parallel architecture reduces the number of dividing stages needed compared to conventional hierarchical dividing devices, simplifying the overall device structure while achieving large-area plasma process coverage.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The apparatus effectively generates a large-area and uniform microwave field, enabling uniform plasma formation and ionization, suitable for large-scale processing applications such as semiconductor and polymer material surface modification.
Implementation Method 1
a magnetron to generate microwave, and then the microwave is transmitted by the waveguide
Implementation Method 2
in the electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) microwave plasma, the molecules could be accelerated to gain more energy to result in the density of ion beam
Implementation Method 3
the microwave is transmitted by the waveguide in specific mode of oscillation through the quartz glass or the dielectric windows to the plasma chamber, so as to ionize the gas by the electric field to produce the plasma
Data Source
AI summary
The invention discloses a microwave supplying apparatus including a microwave generator, a first power divider, a second power divider, a first waveguide, and a second wave guide. The first waveguide is connected to the microwave generator and has a first output terminal and a second output terminal to divide a microwave generated by the microwave generator along a first direction. The second power divider is connected to the first output terminal and has a third output terminal and a fourth output terminal to divide the microwave along a second direction. The first waveguide and the second waveguide are connected to the third output terminal and the fourth terminal respectively and receive the microwave through the first power divider and the second power divider to respectively output the microwave fields with approximate intensity distributions.