Patent · US Expired

Stand alone plasma vacuum pump

US6873113B2 · kind B2 · utility

3Cited by
28References
16Claims
0Family size

Assignees

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateOct 11, 2002
Grant dateMar 29, 2005
Priority date
Expiry dateMar 24, 2023

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH01J41/20
  • WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A stand-alone plasma vacuum pump for pumping gas from a low-pressure inlet to a high-pressure outlet, composed of: a housing enclosing one or more pumping regions located between the inlet and the outlet; a plurality of permanent magnet assemblies providing magnetic fields that extend in the pumping region between the inlet and the outlet, the magnetic field forming magnetic flux channels for guiding and confining plasmas; elements disposed for coupling microwave power into the flux channels to heat electrons, ionize gas, and accelerate plasma ions in a direction from the inlet to the outlet; elements disposed for creating an electric in the magnetic flux channels to accelerate ions in the flux channels toward the outlet by momentum transfer; and a differential conductance baffle proximate to the outlet for promoting flow of plasma ions and neutral atoms to the outlet.

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