Patent · US Expired

Apparatus and method for determining power in plasma processing

US5273610A · kind A · utility

131Cited by
3References
36Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 23, 1992
Grant dateDec 28, 1993
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 23, 2012

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01J37/32935
  • WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An apparatus and method including a current sensor having a radiation emitter, such as an electrical resistor, and a radiation detector, such as an infrared detector, for sensing current flowing to a plasma generating electrode from a radio frequency (RF) power source. The resistor may include a high emissivity infrared coating to enhance efficiency of the current sensor. The infrared detector provides a highly accurate indication of the average or root-mean-square current delivered to the plasma generating electrode without introducing parasitic capacitance into the measurement, or sensing, circuit. A voltage sensor and a second current sensor, such as a torroidal current sensor, provide the voltage and phase angle of the current delivered to the plasma generating electrode to thereby permit calculation of the power delivered to the plasma generating electrode. A processor controls the RF source responsive to the sensed average current, sensed voltage, and sensed phase angle of the current.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.