Abstract: A method for impedance matching using an impedance matching network is provided. The impedance matching network includes an input, an output, and at least two matching stages connected in series, each matching stage having a respective variable reactance. The method includes a) measuring an input impedance at the input, b) determining an intermediate impedance occurring between the two matching stages from the input impedance and at least one present state value of at least one of two matching stages, c) determining an alteration target value for at least one of the variable reactances of the two matching stages from the intermediate impedance and a model of the impedance matching network, d) altering a state of at least one of the two matching stages based on the alteration target value, and e) repeating steps a) to d).

Abstract: Power supply devices for generating at least one electric high-frequency power signal for a plasma having at least a first plasma state and a second plasma state are provided. The power supply devices are configured to determine a first variable that characterizes a power reflected by the plasma in the first plasma state, determine a second variable that characterizes a power reflected by the plasma in the second plasma state, generate a third variable based on the first variable and the second variable, and control at least one of a frequency or a power of the high-frequency power signal based on the third variable.

Abstract: The present disclosure generally relates to the field of model-based quality prediction of a chemical compound-and/or of a formulation thereof as the outcome of a production process comprising more than one sub-process. It further relates to a solution for root cause analysis of variations of one or more quality attributes of said product or formulation thereof.

Abstract: Power supply devices for generating at least one electric high-frequency power signal for a plasma having at least a first plasma state and a second plasma state are provided. The power supply devices are configured to determine a first variable that characterizes a power reflected by the plasma in the first plasma state, determine a second variable that characterizes a power reflected by the plasma in the second plasma state, generate a third variable based on the first variable and the second variable, and control at least one of a frequency or a power of the high-frequency power signal based on the third variable.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for generating a plurality of clock signals or high-frequency signals. The devices includes a reference signal generator, which is connected to an oscillator and generates at its output a reference signal with a reference frequency fx. The device also includes at least one signal processor, for example, a DDS, which is connected to the reference frequency generator via a first signal line and to which the reference signal with the reference frequency fx is supplied, and which is configured to generate an output signal having a frequency less than fx.

Abstract: A power supply system comprises an amplifier stage that includes at least one transistor, for example an LDMOS transistor. The transistor is connected to a supply voltage via a power connection, and is controlled by a control voltage at the control connection of the transistor. In some implementations, a first controller is provided for adjusting the control voltage of the transistor, and a second controller is provided for adjusting the supply voltage. In some implementations, one of the controllers is designed to feed a state signal to the other controller, and the other controller is designed to evaluate the state signal.

Abstract: Techniques are described for controlling the power and/or matching the impedance of the output impedance of a high frequency power generator to the impedance of a load, in particular a plasma discharge. A control arrangement may include a control unit, to which a target value, an actual value, and a correction value is supplied, the control unit being set up to generate an adjustment value by taking into account the correction value. The control arrangement may also include a device for determining the correction value, to which a control value is supplied and which is set up to determine the correction value by taking into account the control value and a default value. In some embodiments, when the control value deviates from the default value, the correction value influences the control unit such that the actual value deviates from the target value in the adjusted state of the control unit.

Abstract: A method for producing an arc detection signal on the basis of a plurality of observation signals comprises producing an arc detection part-signal for each of at least two observation signals. Producing each of the part-signals includes correlating the respective observation signal with a correlation signal by influencing the correlation signal with the respective observation, thereby producing a correlation result; producing or modifying a coefficient on the basis of the correlation result; and weighting the respective observation signal with the coefficient. The arc detection part-signals are added to form the arc detection signal.

Abstract: Various methods and systems control the power of a process power supply by a control circuit with a controller and several control channels, wherein each control channel comprises an actual value and a target value of a control variable. The systems and methods specify target values of the control variables, determine the actual values of the control variables, determine a selected control channel with the assistance of a selection variable dependent upon the actual value, determine a selected control difference from the target value and the actual value of the selected control channel, and control the control loop with the selected control difference of the selected control channel.

Abstract: A power supply system comprises an amplifier stage that includes at least one transistor, for example an LDMOS transistor. The transistor is connected to a supply voltage via a power connection, and is controlled by a control voltage at the control connection of the transistor. In some implementations, a first controller is provided for adjusting the control voltage of the transistor, and a second controller is provided for adjusting the supply voltage. In some implementations, one of the controllers is designed to feed a state signal to the other controller, and the other controller is designed to evaluate the state signal.

Abstract: Methods and devices for sampling a composite signal relating to a plasma process are provided. The composite signal has at least one plasma signal of interest and superimposed by at least one interfering signal. The methods include identifying the at least one interfering signal, digitalizing the composite signal by sampling the composite signal at a sampling frequency, and varying the sampling frequency during an operation of the plasma process according to at least one of a frequency of the at least one plasma signal of interest and a frequency of the at least one interfering signal.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device for generating a plurality of clock signals or high-frequency signals. The devices includes a reference signal generator, which is connected to an oscillator and generates at its output a reference signal with a reference frequency fx. The device also includes at least one signal processor, for example, a DDS, which is connected to the reference frequency generator via a first signal line and to which the reference signal with the reference frequency fx is supplied, and which is configured to generate an output signal having a frequency less than fx.

Abstract: Techniques are described for controlling the power and/or matching the impedance of the output impedance of a high frequency power generator to the impedance of a load, in particular a plasma discharge. A control arrangement may include a control unit, to which a target value, an actual value, and a correction value is supplied, the control unit being set up to generate an adjustment value by taking into account the correction value. The control arrangement may also include a device for determining the correction value, to which a control value is supplied and which is set up to determine the correction value by taking into account the control value and a default value. In some embodiments, when the control value deviates from the default value, the correction value influences the control unit such that the actual value deviates from the target value in the adjusted state of the control unit.

Abstract: Various methods and systems control the power of a process power supply by a control circuit with a controller and several control channels, wherein each control channel comprises an actual value and a target value of a control variable. The systems and methods specify target values of the control variables, determine the actual values of the control variables, determine a selected control channel with the assistance of a selection variable dependent upon the actual value, determine a selected control difference from the target value and the actual value of the selected control channel, and control the control loop with the selected control difference of the selected control channel.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device and a method for determining a symbol during reception of a signal coupled with a quadrature signal pair having a discriminator for the determination of a symbol with an analysis of a received signal in complex coordinate space, and a control loop for QAM frequency control and/or rotation control while control parameters are used, which are constructed and/or controlled depending on at least one of the symbols to be decided by the discriminator so that the control parameters are adjusted for decisions to be taken later, wherein one weighting device is constructed and/or controlled, providing in each case one weighting value for the symbols to be decided and/or decided by the discriminator among a plurality of weighting values depending on the symbol position in the complex coordinate space for the control loop.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a circuit system for deciding a symbol (S) upon reception of received symbols coupled with a quadrature signal pair (I, Q). For deciding a symbol upon reception of an input signal using received symbols (S) coupled with a quadrature signal pair, wherein phase noise (PN) and Gaussian noise (GN) are superimposed on at least one such received symbol, the phase noise (PN) as well as the Gaussian noise (GN) are determined or estimated for at least one such received symbol (S). This is advantageously achieved by the fact that when the phase noise (PN) and the Gaussian noise (GN) are determined or estimated, a differentiation is made between the phase noise (PN) and the Gaussian noise, and a result of the differentiating determination or estimation is used for controlling reception parameters for decisions concerning subsequently received symbols (S). In particular, the measured values of the phase noise (PN) are orthogonalized to the Gaussian noise (GN).

Abstract: A method for producing an arc detection signal on the basis of a plurality of observation signals comprises producing an arc detection part-signal for each of at least two observation signals. Producing each of the part-signals includes correlating the respective observation signal with a correlation signal by influencing the correlation signal with the respective observation, thereby producing a correlation result; producing or modifying a coefficient on the basis of the correlation result; and weighting the respective observation signal with the coefficient. The arc detection part-signals are added to form the arc detection signal.

Abstract: The invention relates to a FM simulcast broadcast signal, in which an analogue and digital signal are combined for a transmission in a transmission channel with limited bandwidth as a total signal (s), which has a first phase speed (vs), an auxiliary signal (hs) is prepared in the complex region from the modulated digital signal (ds) for transmission and the FM modulated analogue signal (as) for transmission, which has a second phase speed (vas). Said auxiliary signal (hs) is placed in a used or at least largely unused frequency range of the digital signal (ds). The total signal (s) for transmission comprises the auxiliary signal (hs) and the FM modulated digital signal (ds) and the first phase speed (vs) of the total signal (s) corresponds at least approximately to the second phase speed (vas) of the analogue signal (as).

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and/or a device for determining a constellation from a plurality of possible constellations with a constellation identification device which is used to determine the constellation of the signal from a plurality of possible constellations. This is advantageously achieved when a converter is arranged to convert the signal into polar coordinates provided with a radial component, and to provide a radius as a radial component of the signal, wherein the constellation identification device is constructed so as to determine the constellation of the signal from the radius.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a circuit arrangement for deciding a symbol upon the reception of a signal including or coupled with a quadrature signal pair, wherein the decision is made by means of an analysis of the metric of at least one reception point to at least one nominal point in a complex coordinate space, and the metric is analyzed in the non-Cartesian or not exclusively Cartesian complex coordinate space. The decision is made after the analysis, and during the decision process, a second most probable nominal point and a reliability of the decision are determined.