Plasma Chamber Power Cable Arc Extinguishing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current power supply systems for plasma processing struggle to effectively manage arcs, particularly at higher currents, as they fail to efficiently extinguish arcs and can cause additional damage due to stored energy in the output cable, leading to increased costs and reliability issues.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that utilize the energy stored in the power cable to reverse the voltage polarity, providing it back to the plasma chamber to prevent or extinguish arcs, thereby reducing the reliance on additional power sources and minimizing damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If a second-power supply is employed to extinguish arcs by providing reverse polarity power, then arcs can be extinguished relatively quickly, but the second-power supply adds substantial cost to the system and substantially increases a risk of failure
Solution Approach 1:
The power cable's own stored energy is utilized to generate the reverse polarity voltage needed for arc extinguishing. The cable acts as an energy reservoir that automatically provides the necessary counter-voltage during arc events without requiring external intervention or additional power supply components.
Solution Approach 2:
The stored energy in the power cable, which previously represented a harmful factor that could extend arc life and cause damage, is converted into a beneficial resource. This stored energy is now harnessed to generate reverse polarity voltage that actively extinguishes arcs, transforming a potential hazard into a protective mechanism.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If cable designs minimize stored energy by minimizing inductance, then arc damage is reduced, but such cable designs quickly become costly and impractical to build when balancing constraints such as length, insulation, wire size, and cost
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of minimizing cable inductance to reduce stored energy, the invention inverts the approach by utilizing the stored energy in the cable for beneficial purposes. The cable is designed with practical inductance values that are easy to manufacture, and this previously harmful stored energy is now used to generate reverse polarity voltage for arc extinguishing.
Solution Approach 2:
The stored energy in the power cable, which previously represented a harmful factor that could extend arc life and cause damage, is converted into a beneficial resource. This stored energy is now harnessed to generate reverse polarity voltage that actively extinguishes arcs, transforming a potential hazard into a protective mechanism.
3Reliability
If a tapped inductor is employed to provide reverse voltage, then arcs can be controlled, but tapped inductors that can handle higher currents and provide the desired low-leakage inductance are relatively expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The power cable's own stored energy is utilized to generate the reverse polarity voltage needed for arc extinguishing. The cable acts as an energy reservoir that automatically provides the necessary counter-voltage during arc events without requiring external intervention or additional power supply components.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges the function of the power cable (energy transmission) with the function of an energy storage device (inductor). The cable's inherent inductance is utilized for dual purposes: normal power transmission and arc extinguishing, eliminating the need for separate tapped inductors or additional energy storage components.
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
This approach effectively manages arcs by utilizing existing energy to generate a reverse polarity voltage, reducing material costs and increasing reliability while minimizing the impact of stored energy, allowing for more design flexibility and cost savings in cable design.
Implementation Method 1
the power cable being capable of storing energy
Implementation Method 2
utilize the energy stored in the power cable to reverse the voltage polarity
Implementation Method 3
providing it back to the plasma chamber to prevent or extinguish arcs
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
A system and method for managing power delivered to a processing chamber is described. In one embodiment power is delivered to the processing chamber with a power cable, the power cable storing energy and including a first and second conductors, the first conductor having a first voltage polarity relative to the second conductor. The voltage polarity of the first conductor is reversed relative to the second conductor and at least a portion of the stored energy in the power cable is provided to the plasma chamber while the polarity of the first power cable is reversed.