Patent · US Expired

Local etching apparatus

US6302995A · kind A · utility

2Cited by
3References
10Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateSep 8, 1999
Grant dateOct 16, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 8, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01J37/32366
  • WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A local etching apparatus and local etching method improving the throughput of the local etching apparatus by preheating a discharge tube before ignition of the plasma discharge. The local etching apparatus is provided with a plasma generator 1, an alumina discharge tube 2, and a heater 6. The heater 6 is constituted by a heating wire 60, a power source 61 for supplying voltage to the heating wire 60, and a voltage regulator 62 for controlling the voltage supplied from the power source 61 to the heating wire 60. Due to this, it is possible to heat the alumina discharge tube 2 to the desired temperature by the heater 6 immediately before the plasma discharge by the plasma generator 1. As a result, there is no need to wait with the local etching work until the alumina discharge tube 2 rises in temperature to the desired temperature due to the heat by the plasma discharge, that is, it is possible to perform the local etching work immediately after the plasma discharge.

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