Patents Examined by Srinivas Sathiraju
  • Patent number: 11974385
    Abstract: A system for determining an operational state of an atmospheric pressure plasma. The system has a transformer for coupling power into the atmospheric pressure plasma, a current sampling circuit configured to sample at least one current pulse flowing through a primary winding of the transformer, and a programmed microprocessor configured to determine, from a waveform of the current pulse, the operational state of the atmospheric pressure plasma. The operational state is one of: a no plasma state, a plasma origination state indicative of an ignited arc expanding into a plasma by gas flow thereinto, and a plasma maintenance state indicative of the plasma being expanded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Atmospheric Plasma Solutions, Inc.
    Inventor: Terrence E. Rogers
  • Patent number: 11972928
    Abstract: A method and system for plasma arc suppression includes a RF generator supplying power to a plasma chamber coupled to an impedance matching network reacting to impedance changes to match an impedance of the plasma chamber with an impedance of the radio frequency generator. An arc suppression device coupled to the RF generator and the plasma chamber detects plasma arcing causing a sharp impedance change increasing reflection of the power by the plasma chamber and switches a power dissipator reducing the power delivered to the plasma chamber extinguishing or mitigating the plasma arcing. The power dissipator is switched more quickly than the impedance matching network reacts to the sharp impedance change. For example, the impedance matching network may react to the impedance change on an order of hundredths of milliseconds or more, while the arc suppression device switches the power dissipator on an order of microseconds or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: COMET TECHNOLOGIES USA, INC.
    Inventor: Anthony Oliveti
  • Patent number: 11972932
    Abstract: [Object] To improve step coverage of a coating film [Solving Means] A deposition apparatus that includes a first electrode, a second electrode, a first power supply source, a second power supply source, and a phase adjuster is used. The first power supply source includes a first high-frequency power source and a first matching circuit, the first high-frequency power source outputting first high-frequency power, the first matching circuit being connected between the first high-frequency power source and the first electrode. The second power supply source includes a second matching circuit that outputs second high-frequency power, the second high-frequency power having the same period as the first high-frequency power and being lower than the first high-frequency power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Ulvac, Inc.
    Inventors: Toshihiko Nakahata, Kazuyoshi Hashimoto, Harumasa Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 11972927
    Abstract: Plasma processing systems and methods are disclosed. The plasma processing system includes a high-frequency generator configured to deliver power to a plasma chamber and a low-frequency generator configured to deliver power to the plasma chamber. A filter is coupled between the plasma chamber and the high-frequency generator, and the filter suppresses mixing products of high frequencies produced by the high-frequency generator and low frequencies produced by the low-frequency generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: Advanced Energy Industries, Inc.
    Inventor: Gideon Van Zyl
  • Patent number: 11961707
    Abstract: The present disclosure describes a system and a method for providing a mixed gas to an ion implantation tool. The system includes a water supply, an electrical source, a gas generator. The gas generator is configured to generate a first gas from the water supply and the electrical source. The system also includes a first flow controller configured to control a first flow rate of the first gas, a gas container to provide a second gas, a second flow controller configured to control a second flow rate of the second gas, and a gas pipe configured to mix the first and second gases into a mixed gas. The mixed gas can be delivered to, for example, an ion source head of the ion implantation tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hsing-Piao Hsu, Nai-Han Cheng, Ping-Chih Ou
  • Patent number: 11955813
    Abstract: In one exemplary aspect, the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in an energy extraction system that includes a decelerator cavity coupled to a transport line for a charged particle beam and an energy conversion device coupled to the decelerator cavity. The decelerator cavity is configured to extract energy from the charged particle beam traveling through the decelerator cavity as RF energy. The energy conversion is configured to convert the RF energy into electrical current and supply the electrical current to an electric power grid. The charged particle beam includes charged particles with individual rest masses greater than the rest mass of an electron.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: Google LLC
    Inventor: Gregory E. Leyh
  • Patent number: 11956884
    Abstract: The invention relates to a plasma chemical vapor deposition (PCVD) apparatus for deposition of one or more layers of silica onto an interior wall of an elongated hollow glass substrate tube. The apparatus comprises a microwave generator, a plasma generator receiving microwaves from said generator in use, a cylindrical cavity extending through said generator, and a cylindrical liner positioned in the cavity. The substrate tube passes through the liner in use. The cylindrical liner has at least one section having a reduced inner diameter over a part of the length of the liner, the at least one section providing a contact zone for the substrate tube. The microwave generator is configured to generate microwaves having a wavelength Lw in the range of 40 to 400 millimeters, wherein a length of said at least one section having the reduced inner diameter is at most 0.1×Lw.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: Draka Comteq B.V.
    Inventors: Igor Milicevic, Mattheus Jacobus Nicolaas Van Stralen, Gertjan Krabshuis, Antonius Henricus Elisabeth Breuls
  • Patent number: 11956885
    Abstract: A plasma-generation system is provided that includes a variable-frequency microwave generator configured to generate microwave power and a plasma applicator configured to use the microwave power from the microwave generator to (i) ignite a process gas therein for initiating a plasma in a plasma ignition process and (ii) maintain the plasma in a steady state process. The system also includes a coarse tuner connected between the microwave generator and the plasma applicator. At least one physical parameter of the coarse tuner is adapted to be set to achieve coarse impedance matching between the microwave generator and the plasma generated during both the plasma ignition process and the steady state process. A load impedance of the plasma generated during the plasma ignition process and the steady state process is adapted to vary. The microwave generator is configured to tune an operating frequency at the set physical parameter of the coarse tuner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: MKS Instruments, Inc.
    Inventors: Ilya Pokidov, Mohammad Kamarehi, Kenneth B. Trenholm, Fedir Viktorovych Teplyuk
  • Patent number: 11950352
    Abstract: A particle accelerator can include a first waveguide portion and a second waveguide portion. The first waveguide portion can include a first plurality of cell portions and a first iris portion that is disposed between two of the first plurality of cell portions. The first iris portion can include a first portion of an aperture such that the aperture is configured to be disposed about a beam axis. The first waveguide portion can further include a first bonding surface. The second waveguide portion can include a second plurality of cell portions and a second iris portion that is disposed between two of the second plurality of cell portions. The second iris portion can include a second portion of the aperture. The second waveguide portion can include a second bonding surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: RADIABEAM TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Ronald Agustsson, Salime Boucher, Sergey Kutsaev
  • Patent number: 11946196
    Abstract: The present disclosure discloses an atmospheric-pressure plasma equipment for fabric functional finishing and its application, and belongs to the field of textile printing and dyeing engineering. The atmospheric-pressure plasma equipment, including a discharging system, a grafting instrument and a cloth guider, can conduct continuous plasma treatment on fabrics under an atmospheric pressure, including plasma etching and plasma grafting, which breaks through the disadvantage of batch processing of vacuum plasma equipment. The equipment and method of the present disclosure realize functional finishing of the fabrics in the absence of water, and this finishing process is cost efficient, environmentally friendly, uniform, shorter treatment time and higher reactivity, and applicable to many materials and can keep the bulk properties of the treated substances.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: JIANGNAN UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Chang-E Zhou, Hongwei Wang, Wenkai Shen, Lei Fan, Xin Ju, Guozheng Zhang, Tongxin Yang, Wanning Wang, Chang Sun
  • Patent number: 11942312
    Abstract: There is provided a gas analyzer apparatus including: a sample chamber which is equipped with a dielectric wall structure and into which only sample gas to be measured is introduced; a plasma generation mechanism that generates plasma inside the sample chamber, which has been depressurized, using an electric field and/or a magnetic field applied through the dielectric wall structure; and an analyzer unit that analyzes the sample gas via the generated plasma. By doing so, it is possible to provide a gas analyzer apparatus capable of accurately analyzing sample gases, even those including corrosive gas, over a long period of time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: ATONARP INC.
    Inventors: Naoki Takahashi, Prakash Sreedhar Murthy
  • Patent number: 11943854
    Abstract: A load control device adapted to be coupled between an AC power source and an electrical load for controlling the power delivered to the load includes a controller, an actuator for turning the electrical load on and off, an occupancy detection circuit, and an ambient light detector. The load control device automatically turns on the electrical load in response to the presence of an occupant only if the detected ambient light is below a predetermined ambient light level threshold. After first detecting the presence of an occupant, the load control device monitors actuations of the actuator to determine whether a user has changed the state of the load. The load control device automatically adjusts the predetermined ambient light level threshold in response to the user actuations that change the state of the load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2024
    Assignee: Lutron Technology Company LLC
    Inventors: Ryan S. Bedell, James P. Steiner
  • Patent number: 11935725
    Abstract: An inductively-coupled plasma (ICP) generation system may include a dielectric tube, a first inductive coil structure to enclose the dielectric tube, an RF power supply, a first main capacitor between a positive output terminal of the RF power supply and one end of the first inductive coil structure, and a second main capacitor between a negative output terminal of the RF power supply and an opposite end of the first inductive coil structure. The first inductive coil structure may include inductive coils connected in series to each other and placed at different layers, the inductive coils having at least one turn at each layer, and auxiliary capacitors, which are respectively provided between adjacent ones of the inductive coils to distribute a voltage applied to the inductive coils.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: EN2CORE TECHNOLOGY INC.
    Inventors: Sae Hoon Uhm, Yun Seong Lee
  • Patent number: 11935726
    Abstract: A radio frequency (RF) generator system includes first and second RF power sources, each RF power source applying a respective RF signal and second RF signal to a load. The first RF signal is applied in accordance with the application of the second RF signal. The application of the first RF signal is synchronized to application of the second RF signal. The first RF signal may be amplitude modulated in synchronization with the second RF signal, and the amplitude modulation can include blanking of the first RF signal. A frequency offset may be applied to the first RF signal in synchronization with the second RF signal. A variable actuator associated with the first RF power source may be controlled in accordance with the second RF signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: MKS Instruments, Inc.
    Inventors: Aaron T. Radomski, Benjamin J. Gitlin, Larry J. Fisk, II, Mariusz Oldziej, Aaron M. Burry, Jonathan W. Smyka, Alexei Marakhtanov, Bing Ji, Felix Leib Kozakevich, John Holland, Ranadeep Bhowmick
  • Patent number: 11930582
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for forming torsional magnetic reconnection, and converting stored magnetic energy into charged particle kinetic energy and particle acceleration, is claimed. A torsional magnetic reconnection apparatus generally comprises (1) a vacuum environment housing (2) a plurality of conducting coils to form a magnetic field fan-spine topology and (3) a plasma generation device providing an azimuthal magnetic field perturbation such that current sheets are formed and magnetic reconnection processes can occur. Electric current energization of the plurality of conducting coils generates a potential magnetic fan-spine topology. A simultaneous capacitor bank discharge forms and axially drives a plasma sheath, featuring an azimuthal magnetic field, toward the fan-spine magnetic null that forces the diffusion of magnetic flux through the plasma. This magnetic to plasma kinetic energy conversion process accelerates charged particles far away from the reconnection region along open magnetic field lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: SunBeam Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: David Lawrence Chesny, Norton Brice Orange
  • Patent number: 11930568
    Abstract: A controller for controlling a light source module including a first LED array and a second LED array includes a first driving terminal and a second driving terminal. The controller is operable for turning on a switch between a power converter and the first LED array by the first driving terminal to deliver electric power from the power converter to the first LED array in a first sequence of discrete time slots, and for turning on a second switch between the power converter and the second LED array by the second driving terminal to deliver electric power from the power converter to the second LED array in a second sequence of discrete time slots, where the first sequence of discrete time slots and the second sequence of discrete time slots are mutually exclusive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: O2Micro Inc.
    Inventors: Rong Hu, Yung-Lin Lin, Naoyuki Fujita
  • Patent number: 11929182
    Abstract: Systems and methods that facilitate forming and maintaining FRCs with superior stability as well as particle, energy and flux confinement and, more particularly, systems and methods that facilitate forming and maintaining FRCs with elevated system energies and improved sustainment utilizing neutral beam injection and high harmonic fast wave electron heating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: TAE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventor: Xiaokang Yang
  • Patent number: 11923173
    Abstract: There is provided a technique capable of improving a uniformity of a substrate processing on a substrate surface. According to one aspect thereof, there is provided a substrate processing apparatus including: a substrate processing room; a plasma generation room; a gas supplier supplying a gas into the plasma generation room; a first coil surrounding the plasma generation room and to which an electric power is supplied; and a second coil surrounding the plasma generation room and to which an electric power is supplied. An axial direction of the second coil is equal to that of the first coil, a winding diameter of the second coil is different from that of the first coil, and a peak of a voltage distribution generated by supplying the electric power to the second coil does not overlap with a peak of a voltage distribution generated by the first coil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Kokusai Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Teruo Yoshino, Naofumi Ohashi, Tadashi Takasaki
  • Patent number: 11908660
    Abstract: A method for optimizing delivery of power to a plasma chamber is described. The method includes dividing each cycle of a low frequency (LF) radio frequency generator (RFG) into multiple time intervals. During each of the time intervals, a frequency offset of a high frequency (HF) RFG is generated for which the delivery of power is maximized. The frequency offsets provide a substantially inverse relationship compared to a voltage signal of the LF RFG for each cycle of the voltage signal. The frequency offsets for the time intervals are multiples of the low frequency. The substantially inverse relationship facilitates an increase in the delivery of power to the electrode. A total range of the frequency offsets from a reference HF frequency over the LF RF cycle depends on a power ratio of power that is supplied by the LF RFG and power that is supplied by the HF RFG.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2024
    Assignee: Lam Research Corporation
    Inventors: Ranadeep Bhowmick, John Holland, Felix Leib Kozakevich, Bing Ji, Alexei Marakhtanov
  • Patent number: 11901161
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus for reducing particle generation in a remote plasma source (RPS) include an RPS having a first plasma source with a first electrode and a second electrode, wherein the first electrode and the second electrode are symmetrical with hollow cavities configured to induce a hollow cathode effect within the hollow cavities, and wherein the RPS provides radicals or ions into the processing volume, and a radio frequency (RF) power source configured to provide a symmetrical driving waveform on the first electrode and the second electrode to produce an anodic cycle and a cathodic cycle of the RPS, wherein the anodic cycle and the cathodic cycle operate in a hollow cathode effect mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2024
    Assignee: APPLIED MATERIALS, INC.
    Inventors: Tae Seung Cho, Saravana Kumar Natarajan, Kenneth D. Schatz, Dmitry Lubomirsky, Samartha Subramanya