Patent · US Expired

Method and apparatus for the improved microwave deposition of thin films

US5567241A · kind A · utility

23Cited by
11References
12Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 16, 1995
Grant dateOct 22, 1996
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 16, 2015

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01J2237/3321
  • WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A first aspect of the present invention is an improved microwave vacuum feed-through device for coupling microwave energy from a microwave wave guide in a substantially atmospheric pressure region into an elongated linear microwave applicator in a sub-atmospheric pressure region. The improved feed-through is designed to match the impedance of the microwave wave guide in the atmospheric pressure region and the improved linear microwave applicator. A second aspect of the present invention is an improved linear microwave applicator for uniformly coupling 95% or more of the microwave energy input thereto into an elongated plasma zone. The applicator includes curved microwave reflector panels which are used to tune the uniformity of the radiated microwave energy along the length of the linear applicator. A third aspect of the present invention is a microwave enhanced chemical vapor deposition method for depositing thin film material. The method includes a step of intensifying the kinetic/thermal energy of the electrically neutral species in the plasma by intensifying the kinetic/thermal energy of the ions in the plasma and thereby, through ion-neutral collisions, intensifying the kineti…

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