KR100725046B1 - Atmospheric pressure plasma generating apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an atmospheric pressure plasma generator, and in particular, a plasma is generated by using a metal electrode and a plasma generated by the flow of air is diffused to secure a wide plasma generating space, and at the same time, effectively space the plasma generating space by an insulator guide. After the limitation, relates to an atmospheric pressure plasma generator configured to generate the limited plasma at a high density through a low pressure space inside the electrode,

Applying the present invention, it is possible to generate a high-density plasma by simply using a metal electrode at normal pressure, and because of the simple structure can reduce the time and labor required for maintenance, can also increase the durability, and increase the energy efficiency High density plasma is not limited to a limited space but can be realized externally so that the plasma can be efficiently supplied to the required part, uniformly processed regardless of the size of the specimen, and the plasma density can be easily By adjusting, any material such as metal, semiconductor, plastic, ceramic, etc. can be easily and reliably cleaned and surface modified regardless of the specimen type.

Description

Atmospheric pressure plasma generator {ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE PLASMA GENERATING APPARATUS}

Figure 1a is a side view of the atmospheric pressure plasma generator according to an embodiment of the present invention

1B is a cross-sectional view of an atmospheric pressure plasma generator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1C is a view illustrating a relationship between sizes of a second electrode channel and an insulator in an atmospheric pressure plasma generator according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 1d is a three-dimensional view of the plasma generated in the atmospheric pressure plasma generator according to an embodiment of the present invention

Figure 2a is a side view of the atmospheric pressure plasma generator according to another embodiment of the present invention

Figure 2b is a cross-sectional view of the atmospheric pressure plasma generator according to another embodiment of the present invention

<Description of Symbols for Main Parts of Drawings>

1: first electrode 2: second electrode

2a: second electrode channel 2b: second electrode space

3: insulator 3a: insulator channel

4: ceramic member 5: airflow guide

6 plasma 7 specimen

8 chamber 9 air generating fan

10: other working gas supply pipe 11: working gas supply fan

12: working gas passage 13: blocking film

21: conductive specimen

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h1: shortest height difference between the first electrode and the second electrode

h2: longest height difference between the first electrode and the second electrode

h3: shortest height difference between the first electrode and the conductive specimen

h4: longest height difference between the first electrode and the conductive specimen

w1: insulator channel width w2: second electrode space width

w3: second electrode channel width d1: insulator thickness

d2: second electrode space thickness d3: second electrode channel thickness

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an atmospheric pressure plasma generating apparatus. In particular, a plasma is generated by using a metal electrode and a plasma generated by the flow of air is diffused to secure a wide plasma generating space, and at the same time, an effective plasma generating space by an insulator guide. After defining the present invention, the present invention relates to an atmospheric pressure plasma generator configured to generate the limited plasma at a high density through a low pressure space inside the electrode.

In general, a plasma is a fourth material state, which is composed of ions, electrons, radicals, and neutral particles generated by an externally applied electric field, etc., to be electrically neutral.

The plasma is classified into a low pressure (several mmTorr-several Torr) plasma and an atmospheric pressure (several Torr-760 Torr) plasma according to the generated pressure.

Here, the low pressure plasma is easy to generate, but the production cost is expensive because a vacuum chamber, an exhaust device, etc. are required to maintain the low pressure state, and the device for generating the low pressure plasma has a large amount due to the batch type product input method. There is a problem in that the treatment is limited and can be applied only to a relatively small area of the specimen.

On the other hand, the atmospheric pressure plasma can be generated in the normal pressure (760 Torr) state, so the mass production without expensive equipment has been developed a lot of atmospheric pressure large-area plasma generating apparatus in recent years.

Conventional atmospheric large area plasma generators include AC barrier type (T. Yokoyama, M. Kogoma, T. Moriwaki, and S. Okazaki, J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. V23, p1125 (1990)) , (John R. Roth, Peter P. Tsai, Chaoyu Lin, Mouuir Laroussi, Paul D. Spence, "Steady-state, Glow discharge plasma", US patent 5,387,842 (Feb. 7, 1995), "One Atmosphere, Uniform Glow Discharge Plasma ", US patent 5,414,324 (May 9, 1995)), resistor type (Yu. S. Akishev, AA Deryugin, IV Kochetov, AP Napartovich, and NI Trushkin, J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. V26, p1630 (1993)), Perforated Dielectric or Capillary Type (Erich E. Kunhardt, Kurt H. Becker, "Glow plasma discharge device having electrode covered with perforated dielectric", US patent 5,872,426 (Feb. 16, 1999).

However, the AC barrier type forms a uniform plasma but has a low plasma density and a large energy loss due to the dielectric.

In addition, the resistor type uses a plurality of pin cathodes, and a resistor (1 mW / pin) is attached to each pin to obtain a stable DC plasma having a large area at normal pressure. Lost and inefficient, resulting in poor plasma uniformity.

In addition, the perforated dielectric or the capillary type also has a low plasma uniformity and a structure in which energy is lost because electrons and ions are combined to generate heat.

In addition, although the plasma density of the tubular type is up to about 100 times higher than that of the AC barrier type, the plasma uniformity deteriorates sharply and the plasma density also decreases more than 10 times for the metal sample.

As described above, the conventional technology generates a lot of energy loss, and there is a practical difficulty in applying a sample such as a conductive metal.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, the object is to generate a plasma using a metal electrode at normal pressure and to diffuse the plasma generated by the flow of air to ensure a wide plasma generating space and at the same time insulator The present invention provides an atmospheric pressure plasma generating apparatus that effectively defines a plasma generating space by a guide and generates the limited plasma at a high density through a low pressure space inside the electrode.

In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide an atmospheric pressure plasma generating apparatus for stably processing a composite specimen consisting of a conductive specimen and a non-conductive specimen by easily adjusting the plasma density.

In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide an atmospheric pressure plasma generating apparatus that can be uniformly processed regardless of the size of the specimen by realizing a structure in which the high-density plasma is not limited to a limited space generated outside.

According to a feature of the present invention for achieving the above object,
An insulator including at least one first electrode and at least one insulator channel spaced apart from the first electrode by a predetermined distance, and at least one second electrode channel and a second electrode space formed under the insulator corresponding to the insulator channel. A second electrode including an alignment, an air generating fan positioned at one side between the first electrode and the insulator, and arranged to induce a flow of air generated by the air generating fan above the first electrode to be in a predetermined direction Air flow guides, a work gas supply unit for supplying a work gas, an insulator including the insulator channel, a second electrode aligned with the second electrode channel and a second electrode space, an air generating fan, an air flow guide and a work It consists of a chamber for receiving a gas supply.

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The above objects and various advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the preferred embodiments of the present invention described below with reference to the accompanying drawings by those skilled in the art.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1A is a side view of an atmospheric pressure plasma generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view of an atmospheric pressure plasma generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1C is an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1D is a three-dimensional view of plasma generated in an atmospheric pressure plasma generator according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. Side view of the atmospheric pressure plasma generator according to another embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2b is a cross-sectional view of the atmospheric pressure plasma generator according to another embodiment of the present invention.

1A and 1B, reference numeral 1 denotes a first electrode, reference numeral 2 denotes a second electrode, 2a denotes a second electrode channel, and 2b denotes a second electrode space. 3 is an insulator, 3a is an insulator channel, 4 is a ceramic member, 5 is an airflow guide, 6 is plasma, 7 is a specimen, 8 is a chamber, 9 is an air generating fan, 10 Is the other working gas supply pipe, 11 is the working gas supply fan, 12 is the working gas passage and 13 is the blocking film.

The first electrode 1 is made of metal and is formed in at least one wire, rod, or ribbon shape.

The second electrode 2 is made of metal and is spaced apart from the first electrode 1 by a predetermined distance. The plate-shaped second electrode 2 includes at least one second electrode channel 2a and a second electrode space 2b.

In this case, the second electrode channel 2a may be elongated in a slit form.

Here, the height difference between the first electrode 1 and the second electrode 2 depends on the horizontal direction, and the shortest height difference between the first electrode 1 and the second electrode 2 is h1 and the first difference. The longest height difference between the 1st electrode 1 and the 2nd electrode 2 is represented by h2.

A current limiting bipolar or unipolar voltage is applied to the first electrode 1 and the second electrode 2.

Preferably, the second electrode 2 is grounded.

The insulator 3 includes an insulator channel 3a in the form of an elongated slit over the second electrode 2 and corresponding to the at least one or more second electrode channels 2a.

The air generating fan 9 is located at one side between the first electrode 1 and the insulator 3 to generate a flow of air. The air flow guide 5 is positioned above the first electrode 1 to direct the flow of air in a predetermined direction. The ceramic member 4 is located on the other side between the first electrode 1 and the insulator 3.

In addition, the working gas supply fan 11 and the other working gas supply pipe 10 is located on the upper side or the side of the chamber 8, the specimen 7 is separated from the second electrode 2 by a predetermined distance. Located outside the chamber (8).

Referring to FIG. 1C, the structure of the second electrode 2 and the insulator 3 will be described in detail. The second electrode channel 2a of the second electrode 2 and the insulator channel of the insulator 3 ( 3a) are formed at positions corresponding to each other.

At this time, when the width of the insulator channel 3a is w1, the width of the second electrode space 2b is w2, and the width of the second electrode channel 2a is w3, it is preferable to maintain a relationship of w1 <w3 <w2. Do. When the thickness of the second electrode space 2b is d2 and the thickness of the second electrode channel 2a is d3, it is preferable that the relationship between the thickness of the second electrode space and the thickness of the second electrode channel is in accordance with an inequality of d2 ≧ d3.

Further, it is preferable that the second electrode space width w2 is three times or more the second electrode space thickness d2 and the relationship between the second electrode space thickness d2 and the second electrode channel width w3 is w3 ≧ d2.

Here, the smaller the second electrode channel thickness d3 is better, but it is appropriately considered as it relates to the life of the electrode.

Subsequently, referring to the accompanying drawings, FIGS. 1A and 1B, the operating principle of the atmospheric pressure plasma generating apparatus according to an embodiment having the above configuration will be described.

A high voltage current limiting bipolar or unipolar voltage is applied to the first electrode while the working gas flows between the first electrode 1 and the insulator 3 by the air generating fan 9. When applied between (1) and the second electrode 2, streamer plasma is preferentially generated at one side where the height difference between the first electrode 1 and the second electrode 2 is the shortest.

Thereafter, the streamer plasma diffuses through the first electrode 1 and the second electrode 2 to the predetermined space of the chamber 8 by the flow rate of the working gas by the air generating fan 9. do.

At this time, when the spreading plasma reaches the other side of the longest difference in height between the first electrode 1 and the second electrode 2, the plasma conduction distance is lengthened by the ceramic member 5, thereby stopping the plasma. In addition, plasma is generated at one side between the first electrode 1 and the second electrode 2 having the shortest height difference due to the high voltage, and thus the plasma propagation occurs repeatedly.

The insulator channel 3a of the insulator 3 guides the plasma formed in the predetermined space of the chamber 8 to the second electrode channel 2a of the second electrode 2 through the above process. That is, the insulator channel 3a of the insulator 3 and the second electrode channel 2a of the second electrode 2 are used to maximize efficiency without wasting plasma formed in a predetermined space of the chamber 8. do.

Subsequently, the generated plasma passes through the second electrode space 2b through the second electrode channel 2a by the pressure supplied from the working gas supply fan 11 or the other working gas supply pipe 10. It is ejected to the specimen 7 located outside of the chamber 8.

At this time, the flow rate of air from the predetermined space of the chamber 8, which is a large space, to the second electrode space, which is a narrow space, increases the flow rate according to Bernoulli's Law. The pressure in the second electrode space 2b is lowered.

Subsequently, according to Paschen's Law, at low pressure, the discharge voltage is lowered and the plasma generation efficiency is increased, so that a high-density plasma is generated in the second electrode space 2b of low pressure, thereby causing the second electrode. It is ejected to the specimen 7 through the channel (2a).

The atmospheric pressure plasma generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention has a structure in which a plasma is directly generated between the metal of the first electrode 1 and the second electrode 2, thereby easily controlling the plasma density by the amount of current supplied to the high density plasma. Easily create

The high density plasma 6 thus produced is irradiated onto the specimen 7.

The atmospheric pressure plasma generator of the present invention uses all kinds of working gases.

Referring to FIG. 1D, the shape in which the plasma is generated will be described. The working gas may be formed from the working gas supply fan 11 and the other working gas supply pipes 10 of FIGS. 1A and 1B. After the plasma is formed by using the supplied supply gas as a source, the sample 7 located outside the chamber 8 through the second electrode channel 2a of the second electrode 2 The high density plasma ejection region having a specific shape is formed according to the shape of the second electrode channel 2a.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, FIGS. 2A and 2B, an atmospheric pressure plasma generating apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention is described. At least one wire or rod or a ribbon-shaped first electrode 1 is located at a distance away from the first electrode 1. The insulator 3 having at least one insulator channel 3a is located, and the conductive specimen 21 is arranged outside of the chamber 8 at a distance from the insulator 3.

At this time, a current limiting bipolar or unipolar voltage is applied to the first electrode 1 and the conductive specimen 21 and the conductive specimen 21 is grounded. The air generating fan 9 is arranged to generate an air flow on one side of the shortest height difference between the first electrode 1 and the insulator 3. The air flow guide 5 is positioned above the first electrode 1 to guide the generated air flow in a predetermined direction. The chamber 8 holds the components therein, and the working gas supply fan 11 and the other working gas supply pipe 10 are located at the top or the side of the chamber 8.

In this case, the operating principle is the same as described above, and is omitted. However, in FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, the conductive specimen 21 serves as the second electrode 2. Instead.

Accordingly, the atmospheric pressure plasma generator according to another embodiment of the present invention maximizes the surface cleaning and modification characteristics of the conductive specimen 21 by directly exposing the high density plasma to the surface of the conductive specimen 21 serving as an electrode.

The invention described above is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and changes can be made by those skilled in the art, which are included in the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

As described above, the atmospheric pressure plasma generating apparatus according to the present invention has an effect of generating a high density plasma by simply using a metal electrode at normal pressure.

In addition, due to the simple structure, it is possible to reduce the time and labor required for maintenance, it is possible to increase the durability.

In addition, there is an effect that can increase the energy efficiency accordingly.

The high-density plasma is not limited to a limited space but is realized as a structure that is generated externally so that the plasma can be efficiently supplied to a required portion.

In addition, there is an effect that can be uniformly processed regardless of the size of the specimen.

In addition, accordingly, there is an effect that can be maximized in the semiconductor package, printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturing and the like.

By controlling the plasma density easily, any material such as metal, semiconductor, plastic, ceramic, etc. can be easily and reliably cleaned and surface modified regardless of the specimen type.

By using the working gas flow control system, it is possible to obtain various plasma types by simply changing the working gas direction, flow rate, and power voltage.

Claims (14)

An insulator including at least one first electrode and at least one insulator channel spaced apart from the first electrode by a predetermined distance, and at least one second electrode channel and a second electrode space formed under the insulator corresponding to the insulator channel. A second electrode including an alignment, an air generating fan positioned at one side between the first electrode and the insulator, and arranged to induce a flow of air generated by the air generating fan above the first electrode to be in a predetermined direction Air flow guides, a work gas supply unit for supplying a work gas, an insulator including the insulator channel, a second electrode aligned with the second electrode channel and a second electrode space, an air generating fan, an air flow guide and a work Atmospheric pressure plasma generating apparatus comprising a chamber for receiving a gas supply. delete The method of claim 1, The first electrode is an atmospheric pressure plasma generator, characterized in that formed in any one of a wire, rod or ribbon shape. The method of claim 1, And the second electrode space is formed close to the insulator side. The method of claim 1, The insulator channel and the second electrode channel are formed in the shape of a long slit (slit) atmospheric pressure plasma generating apparatus. The method of claim 1, And generating a plasma by applying a current limiting bipolar or unipolar voltage between the first electrode and the second electrode. delete The method of claim 1, The air generating fan is an atmospheric pressure plasma generator, characterized in that located on the side where the height difference between the first electrode and the insulator is minimum. The method of claim 1, The plasma treatment object is configured to be positioned outside of the chamber a predetermined distance from the second electrode. The method of claim 1, When the width of the insulator channel is w1, the width of the second electrode space is w2, and the width of the second electrode channel is w3, atmospheric pressure plasma is maintained, wherein w1 <w3 <w2 is maintained. Device. An insulator comprising a first electrode formed in at least one of the form of at least one wire, rod or ribbon, and at least one insulator channel in the form of at least one long slit spaced from the first electrode by a predetermined distance; A conductive specimen spaced apart from each other, an air generating fan located at one side between the first electrode and the insulator, an air flow guide for inducing a flow of air to a predetermined direction on the first electrode, and a work gas supply operation Atmospheric pressure plasma generating apparatus comprising a gas supply unit, the wire, the insulator including the insulator channel, the conductive specimen, the air generating fan, the air flow guide and the chamber for receiving the working gas supply. The method of claim 11, And the conductive specimen is configured to be positioned outside of the chamber at a distance from the insulator. The method of claim 11, And generating a plasma by applying a current limiting bipolar or unipolar voltage between the first electrode and the conductive sample. delete

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