Patent · US Expired

Method of producing a plasma by capacitive-type discharges with a multipole barrier, and apparatus for implementing such a method

US6403490B1 · kind B1 · utility

3Cited by
4References
6Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 19, 2000
Grant dateJun 11, 2002
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 19, 2020

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH05H1/466
  • WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method of producing a plasma by capacitive discharges between an active electrode and a passive electrode within a sealed chamber at controlled pressure, the passive electrode being placed at a given electric potential while the active electrode is fed with a discharge-maintaining voltage. The active electrode and passive electrode define a separation plane therebetween parallel to the electrodes. According to the method, a multipole magnetic barrier is placed between the electrodes within the sealed chamber, the multipole magnetic barrier producing magnetic field lines extending across the separation plane. Fast electrons accelerated by the active electrode are caused to oscillate between magnetic poles in order to create plasma production and diffusion zones that are situated on either side of a magnetic barrier facing each of the electrodes.

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