KR100633240B1 - Apparatus for generating plasma at atmospheric pressure - Google Patents

Abstract

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an atmospheric pressure plasma generator using a dielectric barrier discharge. The present invention relates to a plate electrode pair and a plate electrode pair that are electrically connected to a first power source and are disposed at predetermined intervals to form a first electric field. And a magnetic field generating means disposed on each rear surface of the flat electrode pair and inducing a magnetic field in the space between the flat electrode pairs and inducing a second electric field by the magnetic field. The discharge gas flowing into the plasma causes the plasma discharge by the first electric field, and the generated ion particles are accelerated by the second electric field to uniformly generate high-density plasma and prevent the ion particles from colliding perpendicularly to the dielectric. Long life and high voltage enable high density plasma have.

Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Generator

Description

Atmospheric Plasma Generator {APPARATUS FOR GENERATING PLASMA AT ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE}             

1 is a cross-sectional view of an atmospheric pressure plasma generating apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a view for explaining each electric field induced by the flat electrode pair and the permanent magnet of FIG. 1; FIG.

3 is a view for explaining an acceleration path of ion particles between the pair of flat electrode of FIG.

4 is a cross-sectional view of an atmospheric pressure plasma generating apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

5 is a view showing an example in which a plurality of electromagnets are arranged on the rear surface of the plate electrode;

6 and 7 illustrate an example in which a rotating motor is connected to rotate a permanent magnet or an electromagnet positioned on the rear surface of the plate electrode;

8 is a cross-sectional view of an atmospheric pressure plasma generating apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a view showing an example in which the atmospheric plasma generators of FIG. 8 are arranged in parallel; FIG. And

10 is a perspective view showing a modification of the atmospheric pressure plasma generating apparatus arranged in parallel.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

10, 12: flat electrode pair 20, 60, 85, 95: power supply

30, 32: dielectric pair 40, 42: permanent magnet

50, 52, 80, 81: ferrite cores 51, 53, 82, 84: induction coil

70, 72: rotary motor 71, 73: rotary shaft

The present invention relates to an atmospheric pressure plasma generator, and more particularly, to an atmospheric pressure plasma generator using a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD).

As known. Atmospheric pressure plasma does not require a conventional vacuum system and can be applied directly to an existing production line without a reaction chamber at 1 atm (760 torr), allowing for continuous processing. Techniques for generating atmospheric plasma include dielectric barrier discharge (DBD), corona discharge, microwave discharge, arc discharge and the like. These technologies can be used in a variety of industries, most of which can be used in semiconductor manufacturing processes.

The dielectric barrier discharge maximizes the voltage efficiency applied by the AC power by using the charge build-up phenomenon of the dielectric to obtain a uniform glow discharge. In the dielectric barrier discharge generation system, a dielectric barrier is inserted between two electrodes to which a high voltage is applied, and an AC voltage is applied to the electrodes to generate plasma by ionizing the injected gas in an electric field region between the two electrodes. . The atmospheric pressure plasma thus formed is usefully used for processes such as cleaning and surface modification of organic contaminants. For example, it is used for cleaning a large plate, ashing, PFC gas purification, etc. in a semiconductor manufacturing process.

However, until now, it is known that atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharges are difficult to generate stable and continuous uniform plasma, and it is difficult to uniformly generate high-density plasma for processing of large areas. Atmospheric pressure plasma generator is required to improve yield in large wafer processing of 300mm or more, and processes using semiconductor devices such as TFT LCD and Plasma Display Panel (PDP) are various kinds of large glass and polymer plates. However, these sizes are becoming larger, and there is a demand for an atmospheric pressure plasma generator that can effectively cope with this.

Dielectric pairs installed between two plate electrodes to which high voltage is applied are destroyed by strong collisions of accelerated ion particles, resulting in short lifetimes and particle generation. In addition, in order to obtain a high-density plasma, ion particles accelerated when a high voltage is supplied collide more strongly, and the problem of particle generation is further exacerbated with the problem of shortening the dielectric life.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an atmospheric pressure plasma generating apparatus capable of stably and uniformly generating high-density plasma and capable of processing a large area of plasma.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an atmospheric pressure plasma generator that can use a high voltage and prevent the ion particles being accelerated from colliding strongly with the dielectric even if a high voltage is applied to increase the lifetime of the dielectric.

In order to achieve the above object, the atmospheric pressure plasma generating apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention comprises: a flat electrode pair electrically connected to the first power source, and disposed to face each other at a predetermined interval to form a first electric field; A dielectric pair mounted on opposite sides of the flat electrode pair; And magnetic field generating means disposed on each rear surface of the plate electrode pair to induce a magnetic field in the space between the plate electrode pairs and form a second electric field induced by the magnetic field. The gas causes a plasma discharge by the first electric field, and the generated ion particles are accelerated by the first and second electric fields.

In this embodiment, the magnetic field generating means is configured to generate a magnetic field in a direction crossing the plate electrode pair vertically so that the second electric field rotates in parallel with the plate electrode pair.

In this embodiment, the magnetic field generating means is composed of at least one permanent magnet pair disposed respectively on each rear surface of the flat electrode pair.

In this embodiment, the magnetic field generating means comprises a second power source composed of at least one pair of electromagnets respectively disposed on each rear surface of the plate electrode pair, and electrically connected to an induction coil wound around a ferrite core of the pair of electromagnets. do.

In this embodiment, rotation means for rotating the magnetic field generating means are included.

In this embodiment, the magnetic field generating means comprises a 'U' shaped ferrite core into which the plate electrode pairs are fitted and an induction coil wound around the ferrite core electrically connected to the second power source.

According to another aspect of the present invention, an atmospheric pressure plasma generator includes: an annular band-shaped outer electrode and an inner electrode electrically connected to a first power source; A dielectric pair mounted on a surface of the inner electrode and the outer electrode facing each other; And magnetic field generating means for inducing a magnetic field crossing vertically between the inner electrode and the outer electrode and forming a second electric field induced by the magnetic field to rotate in parallel between the inner electrode and the outer electrode. At least two “U” shaped ferrite cores fitted into the inside of the electrode and the outside of the electrode and an induction coil electrically connected to the second power source and wound around at least two ferrite cores, respectively, Discharge gas flowing at intervals between the inner electrodes causes plasma discharge by the first electric field, and the generated ion particles are accelerated by the first and second electric fields.

(Example)

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein and may be embodied in other forms. The embodiments introduced herein are provided to make the disclosed contents thorough and complete, and to fully convey the spirit of the present invention to those skilled in the art.

1 is a view showing a cross-sectional structure of an atmospheric pressure plasma generating apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a view for explaining each electric field induced by the flat electrode pair and the permanent magnet of FIG. 3 is a view for explaining the acceleration path of the ion particles between the flat electrode pair of FIG.

Referring to the drawings, the atmospheric pressure plasma generating apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention is provided on the opposite surface of the pair of flat electrodes 10, 12 and the pair of flat electrode pairs 10, 12 which face each other at a predetermined interval. A pair of dielectrics 30 and 32 are provided. One of the plate electrode pairs 10, 12 is electrically connected to the first power source 20, and the other is electrically connected to ground. The first power source 20 applies AC power to the plate electrode pairs 10 and 12. At least one pair of permanent magnets 40 and 42 is disposed on each rear surface of the flat electrode pairs 10 and 12 as a magnetic field generating means.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, in the atmospheric pressure plasma generating apparatus, a first electric field E1 is formed at intervals between the plate electrode pairs 10 and 12 by AC power applied to the plate electrode pair 20. The permanent magnet pairs 40 and 42 disposed at opposite positions are arranged to face each other with opposite polarities, so that a magnetic field B is generated in a direction crossing the flat electrode pairs 10 and 12 vertically. The second electric field E2 is formed to rotate between the plate electrode pairs 10 and 12 by (B).

Therefore, the discharge gas traveling between the flat electrode pairs 10 and 12 in which the first and second electric fields E1 and E2 are formed is plasma discharged by the first electric field E1, and generated ion particles. 50 is affected by the first and second electric fields E1 and E2, and thus has a rotating acceleration path 52, as shown in FIG.

The accelerated ion particles 50 collide perpendicularly to the dielectric pairs 30 and 32 and the collision angle is also small. Thus, the accelerated ion particles 50 collide and apply to the dielectric pairs 30 and 32 in comparison with the conventional art. The impact is lowered. In addition, plasma discharge proceeds more strongly by the accelerated ion particles 50 and high voltage can be used to obtain a high density plasma.

In addition, the atmospheric pressure plasma generating apparatus of the present invention enables a large area by connecting a plurality of flat electrode pairs adjacent to each other in series so that a gas flow path is formed as one.

4 is a view showing a cross-sectional structure of an atmospheric pressure plasma generating apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention, Figure 5 is a view showing an example in the case of arranging a plurality of electromagnets on the back of the plate electrode.

Referring to the drawings, an atmospheric pressure plasma generator according to a second embodiment of the present invention has a pair of ferrite cores 50, 52 and a pair of induction coils 51, 53 wound around them as magnetic field generating means. The electromagnets are arranged to face the rear surfaces of the flat electrode pairs 10 and 12. Each of the induction coils 51 and 53 is connected in series so that one end is electrically connected to the second power source 60 and the other end is electrically connected to the ground, but the windings are reversed. Electromagnets disposed on the rear surfaces of the flat electrode pairs 10 and 12 may be arranged in pairs as shown in FIG. 5.

6 and 7 are views illustrating an example in which a rotary motor is connected to rotate a permanent magnet or an electromagnet positioned on the rear surface of the flat plate electrode.

Referring to the drawings, the pairs of permanent magnets 40 and 42 or the pairs of electromagnets 50 and 51 and 52 and 53 disposed on the rear surfaces of the flat electrode pairs 10 and 12 are connected to the rotary shafts 71 and 73, respectively. It can be rotated using the rotary motor (70, 72). In this case, the acceleration paths of the ion particles 50 may be further mixed to further improve the plasma generation density and uniformity.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the atmospheric pressure plasma generator according to the third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a view showing an example in which the atmospheric pressure plasma generator of FIG. 8 is arranged in parallel.

Referring to the drawings, the atmospheric pressure plasma generating apparatus according to the third embodiment of the present invention is a magnetic field generating means, the U-shaped ferrite core 80 and the second power source ( And an induction coil 84 electrically connected to 60 and wound around the ferrite core 80. Both ends 81 and 82 of the ferrite core 80 are located at the rear of the flat electrode pairs 10 and 12, respectively.

In the atmospheric pressure plasma generator according to the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, a plurality of flat electrode pairs 10a, 12a, 10b, 12b are arranged in parallel, and ferrite cores 80a, 80b are respectively arranged. Large area can be installed.

10 is a perspective view showing a modification of the atmospheric pressure plasma generating apparatus arranged in parallel. Referring to the drawings, the atmospheric pressure plasma generating apparatus according to the modification is an annular band-shaped outer electrode 90 and the inner electrode 92, the outer electrode 90 and the inner electrode (electrically connected to the first power source 20) 92 has dielectric pairs 91 and 93 mounted on opposite sides thereof. The magnetic field generating means is electrically connected to at least two 'U' shaped ferrite cores 80a and 80b fitted to the inside of the inner electrode 92 and the outside of the outer electrode 90 and the second power source 60. Induction coils 84a and 84b wound around at least two or more ferrite cores 80a and 80b, respectively.

The discharge gas flowing at an interval between the outer electrode 90 and the inner electrode 92 causes plasma discharge by the first electric field E1, and the generated ion particles are accelerated by the first and second electric fields E1 and E2. do.

The accelerated ion particles collide perpendicularly to the dielectric pairs 91 and 93, and the collision angle is also small, so that the impact exerted by the accelerated ion particles collide with the dielectric pairs 91 and 93 is lower than in the prior art. In addition, plasma discharge proceeds more strongly by the accelerated ion particles, and high voltage can be used to obtain a high density plasma.

In the above, the configuration and operation of the atmospheric pressure plasma generating apparatus according to the present invention has been shown in accordance with the above description and drawings, but this is merely described as an example and various changes and modifications within the scope without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention. Of course this is possible.

As described in detail above, the atmospheric pressure plasma generating device of the present invention is generated in a direction in which the electric field for acceleration is rotated horizontally to the dielectric material, thereby preventing the ion particles from colliding strongly with the dielectric material, thereby prolonging the lifetime of the dielectric material and using high voltage. It is possible to obtain a high-density plasma. In addition, a plurality of plasma chambers are connected in series or in parallel to facilitate large area.

Claims (7)

Atmospheric pressure plasma generating device including a pair of plate electrodes electrically connected to a first power source for supplying AC power, and disposed on opposite sides of the plate electrode pair, the plate electrode pair being positioned at predetermined intervals to form a first electric field. In: A 'U'-shaped ferrite core and an induction coil wound around the pair of flat electrode pairs to generate a magnetic field in a direction crossing the flat electrode pairs vertically to generate a second electric field parallel to the flat electrode pairs; And Including a second power supply for supplying AC power to the induction coil, The discharge gas flowing at the interval between the plate electrode pairs causes plasma discharge by the first electric field, and the generated ion particles are accelerated by the first and second electric fields. Atmospheric pressure, characterized in that the ion particles have a mixture of acceleration paths mixed by the first and second electric fields, thereby preventing the accelerated ion particles from being strongly collided with the dielectric pair and obtaining a high density and uniform large-area plasma. Plasma generating device. delete delete delete delete delete An annular band-shaped outer electrode and inner electrode electrically connected to the first power source; A dielectric pair mounted on a surface of the inner electrode and the outer electrode facing each other; And A magnetic field generating means for inducing a magnetic field crossing vertically between the inner electrode and the outer electrode and forming a second electric field induced by the magnetic field to rotate in parallel between the inner electrode and the outer electrode, The magnetic field generating means includes at least two 'U' shaped ferrite cores fitted into the inner electrode and the outer electrode and an induction coil each wound on at least two ferrite cores electrically connected to the second power source. So, The discharge gas flowing at the interval between the outer electrode and the inner electrode causes a plasma discharge by the first electric field, the generated ion particles are accelerated by the first and second electric field.

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