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WO2025178456A1 - Procédé et appareil de commande de la puissance fournie à une charge - Google Patents

Procédé et appareil de commande de la puissance fournie à une charge

Info

Publication number
WO2025178456A1
WO2025178456A1 PCT/KR2025/099449 KR2025099449W WO2025178456A1 WO 2025178456 A1 WO2025178456 A1 WO 2025178456A1 KR 2025099449 W KR2025099449 W KR 2025099449W WO 2025178456 A1 WO2025178456 A1 WO 2025178456A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
switch
plasma
voltage
load
inverter
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Pending
Application number
PCT/KR2025/099449
Other languages
English (en)
Korean (ko)
Inventor
허진
제갈동
손영훈
태춘반
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
En2Core Technology Inc
Original Assignee
En2Core Technology Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by En2Core Technology Inc filed Critical En2Core Technology Inc
Publication of WO2025178456A1 publication Critical patent/WO2025178456A1/fr
Pending legal-status Critical Current
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01J—ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS
    • H01J37/00—Discharge tubes with provision for introducing objects or material to be exposed to the discharge, e.g. for the purpose of examination or processing thereof
    • H01J37/32—Gas-filled discharge tubes

Definitions

  • the present disclosure relates to a method for controlling power supplied to a load and a device therefor. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a method for controlling the magnitude of an alternating current flowing to a load according to changes in the impedance of the variable load, thereby preventing damage to the load and power supply device, and to a device therefor for efficiently controlling the impedance of a variable load.
  • Technologies utilizing plasma are being used in a variety of industrial fields, including semiconductor, display, and medical equipment technologies, as well as environmental technologies such as air, water, and soil purification, and energy technologies such as solar cells and hydrogen energy.
  • efficient plasma generation requires efficient control of the amount of power supplied to the load that generates the plasma. For example, to ignite plasma, a high current must be applied to the load to form an electromagnetic field. However, if the current is too high, it can damage the load and the power supply used to supply the current. Furthermore, as the amount of generated plasma increases, the load's impedance also increases. Therefore, maintaining the plasma after ignition requires a higher current than before.
  • the problem that the present disclosure seeks to solve is to provide a method and a device for preventing damage to a load and an inverter that may occur due to an excessively high magnitude of an alternating current flowing to a load by a voltage applied from an inverter.
  • the problem to be solved by the present disclosure is to provide a method and a device therefor that enable an appropriate current to flow to a load for igniting and maintaining plasma according to the impedance of the load that changes before and after plasma ignition.
  • a plasma generating device for generating plasma comprises: a discharging tube providing a space for generating the plasma; an antenna disposed to surround an outer wall of the discharging tube; An inverter having two input terminals for receiving a DC voltage from a DC power source, wherein the two input terminals are a first input terminal and a second input terminal, two output terminals for applying an AC voltage to the antenna, wherein the two output terminals are a first output terminal and a second output terminal, and four switches, wherein the four switches are composed of a first switch electrically interposed between the first input terminal and the first output terminal, a second switch electrically interposed between the second input terminal and the first output terminal, a third switch electrically interposed between the first input terminal and the second output terminal, and a fourth switch electrically interposed between the second input terminal and the second output terminal, and converting the DC voltage into the AC voltage according to the operation of the four switches; and a controller that controls the operation of the four switches.
  • the controller may control the operation of the first switch to be turned on and the operation of the second switch to be turned off so that the DC voltage is converted into a first AC voltage, while controlling the operation of each of the third switch and the fourth switch to be selectively turned on or off, and determine whether the plasma is generated in the discharge tube in an amount greater than or equal to a reference amount by the first AC voltage applied to the antenna, and may control the operation of each of the first switch, the second switch, the third switch, and the fourth switch to be selectively turned on or off based on the generated plasma being greater than or equal to the reference amount so that the DC voltage is converted into a second AC voltage.
  • a control method for controlling four switches included in an inverter of a plasma generating device wherein the inverter has a first switch electrically interposed between a first input terminal and a first output terminal, a second switch electrically interposed between a second input terminal and the first output terminal, a third switch electrically interposed between the first input terminal and the second output terminal, and a fourth switch electrically interposed between the second input terminal and the second output terminal, wherein the first input terminal and the second input terminal receive a DC voltage from a DC power source, and the first output terminal and the second output terminal can apply an AC voltage to an antenna arranged to surround an outer wall of a discharge tube.
  • control method may include: controlling the operation of the first switch to be turned on and the operation of the second switch to be turned off so that the DC voltage is converted into a first AC voltage, while controlling the operation of each of the third switch and the fourth switch to be selectively turned on or off; determining whether the plasma has been generated inside the discharge tube in an amount greater than or equal to a reference amount by the first AC voltage applied to the antenna; and controlling the operation of each of the first switch, the second switch, the third switch, and the fourth switch to be selectively turned on or off so that the DC voltage is converted into a second AC voltage based on whether the generated plasma is greater than or equal to the reference amount.
  • damage that may be inflicted on the inverter and antenna structure due to high current can be minimized.
  • FIG. 1 is a drawing showing a plasma induction device according to the present disclosure.
  • FIG. 2 is a drawing of an RF (Radio Frequency) generator according to the present disclosure.
  • FIGS. 3 to 5 are drawings for explaining an inverter structure included in an RF generator according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
  • FIG. 6 is a drawing showing an antenna structure according to the present disclosure.
  • FIGS. 7 and 8 are drawings showing a process of inducing plasma according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • FIGS. 11 to 13 are drawings for explaining a method for a controller to control four switches included in an inverter so that a high current does not flow to a load according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • FIGS. 14 and 15 are drawings for explaining a method for changing an operation mode for controlling four switches included in an inverter according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • FIG. 16 is a drawing for explaining a method for determining whether an operation mode for controlling four switches included in an inverter has changed according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • FIGS. 17 to 20 are drawings for explaining various forms of operation flows of a plasma induction device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • FIGS. 21 to 23 are for explaining a power control method using a freewheeling section in an operation mode according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • FIGS. 24 and 25 are for explaining a power control method using a freewheeling section in another operation mode according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • Figures 26 and 27 are for explaining the configuration of a half-bridge inverter.
  • FIGS. 28 to 31 are for explaining a method of controlling power using a half-bridge inverter according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • Figure 32 is intended to explain various examples of setting a freewheeling section in the above-described operation mode.
  • a plasma generating device for generating plasma comprises: a discharging tube providing a space for generating the plasma; an antenna disposed to surround an outer wall of the discharging tube; An inverter having two input terminals for receiving a DC voltage from a DC power source, wherein the two input terminals are a first input terminal and a second input terminal, two output terminals for applying an AC voltage to the antenna, wherein the two output terminals are a first output terminal and a second output terminal, and four switches, wherein the four switches are composed of a first switch electrically interposed between the first input terminal and the first output terminal, a second switch electrically interposed between the second input terminal and the first output terminal, a third switch electrically interposed between the first input terminal and the second output terminal, and a fourth switch electrically interposed between the second input terminal and the second output terminal, and converting the DC voltage into the AC voltage according to the operation of the four switches; and a controller that controls the operation of the four switches.
  • the controller may control the operation of the first switch to be turned on and the operation of the second switch to be turned off so that the DC voltage is converted into a first AC voltage, while controlling the operation of each of the third switch and the fourth switch to be selectively turned on or off, and determine whether the plasma is generated in the discharge tube in an amount greater than or equal to a reference amount by the first AC voltage applied to the antenna, and may control the operation of each of the first switch, the second switch, the third switch, and the fourth switch to be selectively turned on or off based on the generated plasma being greater than or equal to the reference amount so that the DC voltage is converted into a second AC voltage.
  • controller can control the operations of the first switch, the second switch, the third switch, and the fourth switch so that the second AC voltage is applied to the antenna and the generated plasma is maintained.
  • the difference between the maximum and minimum values of the second AC voltage may be twice the difference between the maximum and minimum values of the first AC voltage.
  • the controller can determine that the generated plasma is greater than or equal to the reference amount based on the fact that the amount of power applied to the inverter is less than the first threshold value.
  • the controller can calculate the amount of power using the DC voltage applied to the inverter and the input current flowing to the inverter.
  • the controller may assume a virtual signal in which a control signal controlling at least one of the four switches is shifted by a predetermined time, determine a delay time between the output current of the inverter and the virtual signal, and determine that the generated plasma is greater than or equal to the reference amount if the delay time is less than or equal to a reference value.
  • controller can control the operation of each of the third switch and the fourth switch so that the delay time exceeds the reference value when the inverter applies the first AC voltage to the antenna.
  • a control method for controlling four switches included in an inverter of a plasma generating device wherein the inverter has a first switch electrically interposed between a first input terminal and a first output terminal, a second switch electrically interposed between a second input terminal and the first output terminal, a third switch electrically interposed between the first input terminal and the second output terminal, and a fourth switch electrically interposed between the second input terminal and the second output terminal, wherein the first input terminal and the second input terminal receive a DC voltage from a DC power source, and the first output terminal and the second output terminal can apply an AC voltage to an antenna arranged to surround an outer wall of a discharge tube.
  • control method may include: controlling the operation of the first switch to be turned on and the operation of the second switch to be turned off so that the DC voltage is converted into a first AC voltage, while controlling the operation of each of the third switch and the fourth switch to be selectively turned on or off; determining whether the plasma has been generated inside the discharge tube in an amount greater than or equal to a reference amount by the first AC voltage applied to the antenna; and controlling the operation of each of the first switch, the second switch, the third switch, and the fourth switch to be selectively turned on or off so that the DC voltage is converted into a second AC voltage based on whether the generated plasma is greater than or equal to the reference amount.
  • each of the first switch, the second switch, the third switch, and the fourth switch is controlled to be selectively turned on or off; may include: controlling the operation of the first switch, the second switch, the third switch, and the fourth switch so that the second AC voltage is applied to the antenna and the generated plasma is maintained.
  • the difference between the maximum and minimum values of the second AC voltage may be twice the difference between the maximum and minimum values of the first AC voltage.
  • determining whether the plasma is generated to a reference amount may include determining that the generated plasma is greater than or equal to the reference amount based on whether the amount of power applied to the inverter is less than or equal to a first threshold value.
  • determining whether the plasma is generated in a reference amount may further include calculating the amount of power using the DC voltage applied to the inverter and the input current flowing to the inverter.
  • determining whether the plasma is generated in a reference amount may include: assuming a virtual signal in which a control signal controlling at least one of the four switches is shifted by a predetermined time; determining a delay time between the output current of the inverter and the virtual signal; and determining that the generated plasma is greater than or equal to the reference amount if the delay time is less than or equal to a reference value.
  • the operation of the first switch is controlled to be turned on and the operation of the second switch is turned off, while the operation of each of the third switch and the fourth switch is selectively turned on or off; may include controlling the operation of each of the third switch and the fourth switch so that the delay time exceeds the reference value.
  • the present disclosure relates to a plasma induction device for inducing plasma, and more specifically, to a plasma induction device for a plasma process, which can increase stability and durability by not causing damage or malfunction of the plasma induction device due to induced current generated from a plurality of antennas disposed in the plasma induction device.
  • the plasma process refers to a process of generating and utilizing plasma, and is used in semiconductor processes, display processes, nano processes, environmental improvement, etc.
  • semiconductor processes such as plasma ashing, plasma CVD (chemical vapor deposition), plasma etching, thin film deposition (sputtering), and surface modification are described as main examples of plasma processes, but the technical idea of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.
  • Plasma is a state (phase) in which matter is separated into negatively charged electrons and positively charged ions by applying high energy, and can be induced or generated in various ways.
  • ICP inductively coupled plasma
  • RF radio frequency
  • FIG. 1 is a drawing showing a plasma generation device (100) according to one embodiment.
  • a plasma generation device (100) may include an RF generator (1000), an antenna structure (2000), and a discharge tube (3000).
  • the RF generator (1000) can provide power to the antenna structure (2000).
  • the RF generator (1000) can apply AC power having a specific driving frequency to the antenna structure (2000).
  • AC power can be understood to mean AC current or AC voltage.
  • the RF generator (1000) can change the driving frequency of the AC power provided to the antenna structure (2000).
  • the RF generator (1000) can change the driving frequency of the AC power provided based on the impedance of the antenna structure (2000) and/or the power applied to the antenna structure (2000).
  • the antenna structure (2000) may be electrically connected to the RF generator (1000).
  • one end of the RF generator (1000) may be electrically connected to one end of the antenna structure (2000), and the other end of the RF generator (1000) may be electrically connected to the other end of the antenna structure (2000).
  • the RF generator (1000) may also be electrically connected to the antenna structure (2000) through a separate electrical component.
  • one end or the other end refers to an end portion of an object, but is not limited to referring only to the end portion of the object or necessarily including the end portion.
  • electrical connection between one end of an antenna structure (2000) and one end of an RF generator (1000) may mean that one end portion of the antenna structure (2000) or a portion adjacent to the end portion is connected to one terminal of the RF generator (1000) via a conductor such as a wire.
  • one end or the other end may refer to an end portion of a portion of an object, which may be understood as an end portion of the portion, a portion including the end portion, or a portion spaced apart from the end portion by a predetermined distance.
  • one end or the other end is an expression to indicate a part of an object, and the expression itself does not limit the structure or properties of the object, or the connection relationship between the objects.
  • the two antenna segments may be formed integrally or may be implemented in a physically separate form.
  • the antenna structure (2000) can form an electromagnetic field inside the discharge tube (3000) to induce plasma generation.
  • the antenna structure (2000) can receive power from an RF generator (1000) to form an electromagnetic field inside the discharge tube (3000) to induce plasma generation.
  • the direction of the electromagnetic field formed inside the discharge tube (3000) by the antenna structure (2000) is periodically changed due to the AC power supplied by the RF generator (1000), and the gas supplied inside the discharge tube (3000) is supplied with energy by the electromagnetic field that changes according to the period and undergoes a phase transition into plasma.
  • the antenna structure (2000) may basically have a ring shape or coil-like shape that surrounds the outer surface of the discharge tube (or dielectric tube).
  • the antenna structure (2000) may have a layered structure.
  • it may have a structure in which identical or very similar structures are stacked in the longitudinal direction of a discharge tube (or dielectric tube).
  • One layer of the antenna structure (2000) may be composed of multiple turns.
  • one layer of the antenna structure (2000) may be composed of at least one turn.
  • one layer of the antenna structure (2000) may be composed of one, two, three, or more turns.
  • the antenna structure (2000) may include at least one capacitive element.
  • a plurality of antennas constituting the antenna structure (2000) may be electrically connected by the capacitive element.
  • the antenna structure (2000) may further include a capacitive element for connecting to the RF generator (1000).
  • the capacitive element described in the present disclosure may mean a capacitor, a capacitor, a multilayer ceramic capacitor, an ultracapacitor, or an equivalent circuit of a capacitive element having a function of storing electric energy.
  • the discharge tube (3000) can create an environment for generating plasma.
  • the discharge tube (3000) can define an internal space in which plasma is generated.
  • the discharge tube (3000) can provide a space where plasma generation is induced.
  • the discharge tube (3000) can have a pipe shape (or a hollow cylindrical shape).
  • the shape of the discharge tube (3000) is not limited to a pipe shape, and any shape including an internal space for generating plasma is sufficient.
  • the generation of plasma can mean that plasma is induced or plasma generation is induced inside the discharge tube (3000). That is, plasma can be generated by inducing plasma or plasma generation by utilizing an electromagnetic field generated by an alternating current flowing in an antenna structure (2000) surrounding the outer wall of the discharge tube (3000).
  • a gas e.g., NF3, Ar, CO2, CH4, O2, He, and/or H2
  • MFC mass flow controller
  • the discharge tube (3000) can be made of various materials.
  • the discharge tube (3000) can be made of a non-conductor or a material with high thermal conductivity.
  • the discharge tube (3000) can be made of aluminum nitride (AlN), aluminum oxide (Al2O3), silicon nitride (SiN), silicon nitride (Si3N4), silicon dioxide (SiO2), yttrium oxide (Y2O3), or silicon carbide (SiC).
  • the discharge tube (3000) can be made of a material that does not generate impurities (particles) by reacting with a gas introduced into the discharge tube (3000) to induce plasma.
  • the internal environment of the discharge tube (3000) can be controlled. Specifically, the temperature or pressure within the discharge tube (3000) can be controlled to have an appropriate value or maintained within a certain range for plasma generation.
  • the discharge tube (3000) may include a temperature control unit such as a heating wire or a thermoelectric element.
  • the discharge tube (3000) may include a gas discharge unit for controlling the internal pressure.
  • FIG. 2 is a drawing of an RF generator (1000) according to one embodiment of the present specification.
  • an RF generator (1000) may include an AC power source (1100), a rectifier (1200), an inverter (1300), a controller (1500), and a sensor (1400).
  • the RF generator (1000) may convert AC supplied from the AC power source (1100) into another AC and supply it to a load.
  • the RF generator (1000) may convert AC used in typical households or industries into another AC having a frequency of several hundred kHz to several tens of MHz and a power of several kW or more and supply it to a load.
  • the RF generator (1000) and the load may be electrically and/or physically connected by one or more nodes.
  • two nodes (1610, 1630) on the RF generator (1000) side and two nodes (1710, 1730) on the load side may be electrically and/or physically connected.
  • node (1610) may be connected to node (1710)
  • node (1630) may be connected to node (1730).
  • node (1610) may be connected to node (1710) with one conductor
  • node (1630) and node (1730) may be connected with another conductor.
  • nodes (1610, 1630, 1710, 1730) may also be implemented in the form of terminals.
  • the terminal of node (1610) and the terminal of node (1710) may be connected by wires, cables, or connectors
  • the terminal of node (1630) and the unit price of node (1730) may be connected by wires, cables, or connectors.
  • the RF generator (1000) and the load are connected through nodes (1610, 1630, 1710, 1730). That is, for convenience of explanation, the configurations of the nodes (1610, 1630, 1710, 1730) may be omitted from the drawing or may be omitted from the specific description of the specification, but it can be easily inferred from the above description and a person skilled in the art that the RF generator (1000) and the load are connected through nodes (1610, 1630, 1710, 1730).
  • the load may include an antenna structure (2000) and plasma generated by the antenna structure (2000).
  • the impedance of the load becomes a composite impedance of the impedance of the antenna structure (2000) and the impedance of the plasma, and since the impedance of the plasma varies with time depending on the state of the plasma, the load has a resonant frequency that varies with time depending on the plasma induction.
  • the rectifier (1200) can convert the output of the AC power source (1100) into DC.
  • the rectifier (1200) can convert the AC supplied from the AC power source (1100) into DC and apply it to both ends of the inverter (1300) (e.g., input terminals of the inverter (1300)).
  • the inverter (1300) can receive direct current from the rectifier (1200) and supply alternating current to the load.
  • the inverter (1300) can receive a switch control signal from the controller (1500) and provide alternating current to the load using the received switch control signal.
  • the inverter (1300) can include at least one switch element controlled by the switch control signal.
  • the switch control signal received from the controller (1500) can control the operation of at least one switch element.
  • at least one switch element can be turned on and/or turned off according to the switch control signal.
  • the switch element can refer to an element that constitutes a switch.
  • the switch element can include a transistor and a diode.
  • the switch element can refer to a transistor or a diode.
  • the switch element can also refer to a transistor and a diode that are electrically connected.
  • a switch a set of switching elements, in which transistors and diodes are electrically connected to perform the function of a switch, is referred to as a switch. A detailed description thereof will be provided later.
  • the alternating current supplied to the load from the inverter (1300) may have a specific frequency (e.g., driving frequency) set based on a switch control signal provided to the inverter (1300) from the controller (1500).
  • a specific frequency e.g., driving frequency
  • a capacitive element may be placed between the rectifier (1200) and the inverter (1300).
  • the RF generator (1000) includes a capacitor connected in parallel with the rectifier (1200) and the inverter (1300), and the capacitor can discharge the AC component of the voltage or current applied to the inverter (1300) to the ground node (GND).
  • the controller (1500) can receive sensed data from the sensor (1400) described below.
  • the sensed data can be used to generate a switching control signal.
  • the controller (1500) can be implemented to obtain data related to a resonant frequency, such as a current and voltage of a load, from the sensor (1400) and generate a switching control signal.
  • the controller (1500) can obtain a phase signal of an output current of an inverter (1300) from the sensor (1400).
  • obtaining a phase signal of an output current can mean detecting/sensing a phase signal of an output current. Therefore, in the descriptions described below, “obtaining” can mean “sensing” or “detecting.”
  • the controller (1500) can generate a switch control signal for controlling the frequency of the AC voltage output from the inverter (1300) using the phase signal of the output current. For example, the controller (1500) can obtain a phase difference or delay time between the phase signal of the output current and the output voltage of the inverter (1300). Based on the obtained phase difference or delay time, a second switch control signal for outputting a second AC voltage having a second frequency can be generated and applied to the inverter (1300).
  • the controller (1500) may use a first switch control signal for outputting a first AC voltage having a first frequency from the inverter (1300) to obtain a phase signal of the output voltage.
  • the controller (1500) may assume a virtual signal obtained by shifting the first switch control signal by a predetermined time as the phase signal of the output voltage, and may obtain a phase difference or delay time between the virtual signal and the phase signal of the output current.
  • the first frequency and the second frequency may be the same or different.
  • the controller (1500) may control the frequency of the AC voltage to be as close as possible to the resonant frequency of the load. At this time, the controller (1500) may obtain the phase difference or delay time of the output current and the output voltage at predetermined cycles, thereby controlling the frequency of the AC voltage.
  • the first frequency described above may be the frequency of the first AC voltage applied to the load during the nth period
  • the second frequency may be the frequency of the second AC voltage applied to the load during the (n+1)th period.
  • the controller (1500) can control the amount of power output from the inverter (1300). For example, the controller (1500) can measure the power supplied to the load from the inverter (1300), and if the power supplied to the load is greater than a first reference value, the controller (1500) can generate a switch control signal and apply it to the inverter (1300) so that the power supplied to the load can be reduced.
  • the first reference value may be a reference value set to avoid damage to the load or the inverter (1300), or may be a reference value set by the user for the operational efficiency of the plasma generation device (100).
  • the first reference value may be a reference value set to not exceed the range of power for efficiently inducing/generating plasma.
  • the present invention is not limited to the above-described example, and the first reference value may be set to achieve a specific purpose of the operation of the plasma generation device (100).
  • the controller (1500) may measure the power supplied to the load from the inverter (1300), and if the power supplied to the load is less than the second reference value, generate a switch control signal to increase the power supplied to the load, and apply the switch control signal to the inverter (1300).
  • the second reference value may be set to prevent plasma from not being sufficiently induced or maintained in the load.
  • the present invention is not limited to the above-described examples, and a second reference value may be set to achieve a specific purpose of the operation of the plasma generation device (100).
  • the first reference value and the second reference value may be the same, or the second reference value may be lower than the first reference value.
  • the controller (1500) can be implemented using FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) technology. The specific configuration and structure of the controller (1500) will be described later.
  • the phase signal of the output current sensed from the sensor (1400) may be a signal or data regarding the direction of the output current applied to the load (i.e., output from the inverter (1300)) and the time for which the output current flows in each direction. That is, the wave of the output current may be a square wave signal as a digitized signal that measures the direction in which the current flows and the time for which the current flows in the corresponding direction.
  • the sensor (1400) can obtain data on the resonant frequency of the load or data on the current or power supplied to the load from the controller (1500).
  • the sensor (1400) can include a current transformer (1410), a filter (1420), and a comparator (1430).
  • the sensor (1400) can receive an AC current or voltage signal flowing in the load through the current transformer (1410), convert the AC current or voltage signal into a current or voltage signal of different magnitude, filter the converted current or voltage signal using the filter (1420), and output a phase signal of the output current to the controller (1500) through the comparator (1430).
  • the current transformer (1410) can be inductively coupled to the wiring between the inverter (1300) and the load and can convert a voltage or current signal applied to the load and provide it to the filter (1420). Specifically, the current transformer (1410) can convert a current flowing in a wire connected to the load into a voltage signal.
  • the filter (1420) can remove high-frequency noise from the input current or voltage signal and output it to the comparator (1430). To this end, the filter (1420) can perform high-pass filtering or low-pass filtering.
  • the phase signal of the output current can be obtained through the comparator (1430).
  • the comparator (1430) can be used to obtain the phase signal of the output current by comparing the voltage signal obtained from the current transformer (1410) or the filter (1420) with a preset value.
  • the phase signal can mean phase data of the output current applied to the load (i.e., output from the inverter (1300)) or data regarding the magnitude and direction of the current.
  • At least one of the components included in the above-described sensor (1400) may be omitted.
  • the RF generator (1000) may include memory.
  • the memory can store various types of data. Various types of data can be stored in the memory temporarily or semi-permanently. Examples of the memory may include a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), etc.
  • the memory may be provided in a form built into the RF generator (1000) or in a detachable form.
  • the RF generator (1000) can control the frequency of the AC provided to the load and/or the power provided to the load.
  • the RF generator (1000) can track the resonant frequency of the load, which changes according to the change in the state of the plasma, control the frequency of the output AC to correspond to the resonant frequency of the load, and output the AC having the controlled frequency.
  • the RF generator (1000) can calculate the amount of power required according to the change in the state of the plasma and determine the time and section at which the AC is output. This can prevent unnecessary power consumption and improve the durability of the plasma system.
  • the RF generator (1000) described above may omit at least one of its components.
  • the RF generator (1000) may not include a sensor (1400) and may acquire electrical data about a load from an external sensor.
  • the RF generator (1000) may not include an AC power source (1100) and a rectifier (1200) and may receive direct current or rectified direct current from an external source.
  • FIG. 3 is a drawing for explaining the configuration of an inverter (1300) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • the inverter (1300) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may be implemented as a full bridge inverter.
  • the inverter (1300) may include four switches (S1, S2, S3, S4). As described above, each switch represents a set of transistors and diodes electrically connected. As shown in Fig. 3, the transistors and diodes are electrically connected in parallel, and a configuration in which transistors and diodes are electrically connected in parallel can be defined as a switch.
  • a switch in which a transistor and a diode are electrically connected in parallel is expressed as in Fig. 4.
  • a transistor and a diode connected in electrical parallel are represented as a switch.
  • the inverter (1300) includes four switches (S1, S2, S3, S4).
  • the inverter (1300) may include two input nodes (1650, 1670) and two output nodes (1610, 1630).
  • the two input nodes (1650, 1670) may be implemented in the form of input terminals.
  • the two output nodes (1610, 1630) may be implemented in the form of output terminals.
  • the two input nodes (1650, 1670) will be expressed as two input terminals (1650, 1670) in the specification of the present disclosure.
  • the two output nodes (1610, 1630) will be expressed as two output terminals (1610, 1630).
  • Two input terminals (1650, 1670) are connected to a rectifier (1200), and the inverter can receive a direct current voltage from the rectifier (1200) through the two input terminals (1650, 1670).
  • two output terminals (1610, 1630) are connected to terminals (1710, 1730) of a load, and the inverter can apply an alternating current voltage to the load through the two output terminals (1610, 1630).
  • GND is to provide a reference voltage (Vref). If GND is earth ground, it can be a reference of 0V. Alternatively, GND can be chassis ground or signal ground, in which case the reference voltage can be 0V, but can also have a value other than 0V.
  • switch S1 may be electrically interposed between input terminal (1650) and output terminal (1610).
  • Switch S2 may be electrically interposed between input terminal (1670) and output terminal (1610).
  • Switch S3 may be electrically interposed between input terminal (1670) and output terminal (1630).
  • Switch S4 may be electrically interposed between input terminal (1650) and output terminal (1630).
  • each switch can be electrically interposed between one input terminal and one output terminal, and only one switch can be electrically interposed between one input terminal and one output terminal.
  • Figure 5 is for explaining the turn-on operation and turn-off operation of the switch.
  • each switch is selectively turned on or off depending on the value of the switch control signal. For example, when the switch control signal input to the switch has a high level, the switch can be turned on. On the other hand, when the switch control signal input to the switch has a low level, the switch can be turned off.
  • Fig. 5 shows that switches S1 and S3 are turned off, and switches S2 and S4 are turned on.
  • the turned-on state it means that the circuit is electrically connected through the turned-on switch, and current can flow through the turned-on switch.
  • the turned-off state it means that the turned-off switch is open, and the circuit is not electrically connected, and current cannot flow through the turned-off switch.
  • current flows through switches S2 and S4 but no current flows through switches S1 and S3.
  • FIG. 6 is a drawing showing an antenna structure (2000) according to one embodiment.
  • the antenna structure (2000) may include an ignition antenna structure (2100) and a maintenance antenna structure (2200).
  • the ignition antenna structure (2100) may be understood as an antenna module for igniting plasma
  • the maintenance antenna structure (2200) may be understood as an antenna module for maintaining the ignited plasma. The process of igniting and maintaining the plasma will be described later.
  • the ignition antenna structure (2100) can be arranged around the discharge tube (3000) based on the central axis of the discharge tube (3000).
  • the ignition antenna structure (2100) can be implemented in a coil-like shape or ring shape that surrounds the outer surface of the discharge tube (3000).
  • the ignition antenna structure (2100) may have a layered structure.
  • the ignition antenna structure (2100) may have a structure in which identical or similar structures are stacked in the longitudinal direction of the discharge tube (3000).
  • the ignition antenna structure (2100) may have a two-layer structure including two layer antennas. It should be understood that the number of layers of the ignition antenna structure (2100) is not limited to two layers and may be appropriately determined as needed.
  • One layer of the ignition antenna structure (2100) may be composed of multiple turns.
  • the ignition antenna structure (2100) may be composed of two turn antennas, i.e., an inner turn antenna that surrounds the outer surface of the discharge tube (3000) and an outer turn antenna that surrounds the inner turn antenna.
  • the number of turns constituting each layer of the ignition antenna structure (2100) is not limited to two turns and may be appropriately determined as needed.
  • the maintenance antenna structure (2200) can be arranged around the discharge tube (3000) based on the central axis of the discharge tube (3000).
  • the maintenance antenna structure (2200) can be implemented in a coil-like shape or ring shape that surrounds the outer surface of the discharge tube (3000).
  • the sustain antenna structure (2200) may have a layered structure.
  • the sustain antenna structure (2200) may have a structure in which identical or similar structures are laminated in the longitudinal direction of the discharge tube (3000).
  • the sustain antenna structure (2200) may have a seven-layer structure.
  • the number of layers of the sustain antenna structure (2200) is not limited to seven layers and may be appropriately determined as needed.
  • One layer of the sustain antenna structure (2200) may be composed of multiple turns.
  • the sustain antenna structure (2200) may be composed of two turn antennas, i.e., an inner turn antenna that surrounds the outer surface of the discharge tube (3000) and an outer turn antenna that surrounds the inner turn antenna.
  • the number of turns constituting each layer of the sustain antenna structure (2200) is not limited to two turns and may be appropriately determined as needed.
  • the sustain antenna structure (2200) may include at least one capacitive element.
  • the capacitive element may be electrically interposed between a plurality of antennas constituting the sustain antenna structure (2200).
  • the sustain antenna structure (2200) includes a plurality of layer antennas, each layer antenna including a plurality of turn antennas, the capacitive element may be electrically interposed between the plurality of layer antennas and/or between the plurality of turn antennas.
  • the capacitive element may mean an element having the function of storing electric energy, such as a capacitor, a multilayer ceramic capacitor, or an ultracapacitor, or an equivalent circuit thereof.
  • the ignition antenna structure (2100) may not include capacitive elements between the plurality of layer antennas and/or between the plurality of turn antennas, even if each layer antenna includes a plurality of turn antennas. This is because when a capacitive element is included in the antenna module, the voltage applied to both ends of the antenna module becomes relatively low, whereas a relatively high voltage must be applied to the ignition antenna structure (2100) during the plasma induction process, as described below.
  • the ignition antenna structure (2100) may include a capacitive element
  • the sustain antenna structure (2200) may not include a capacitive element.
  • the ignition antenna structure (2100) and the sustaining antenna structure (2200) may be arranged around the discharge tube (3000) at a predetermined distance apart from each other.
  • the sustaining antenna structure (2200) may be arranged at a predetermined distance apart from the ignition antenna structure (2100) in the longitudinal direction of the discharge tube (3000).
  • the energy conversion efficiency may vary depending on the shape of the maintenance antenna structure (2200).
  • the energy conversion efficiency may refer to the degree to which gases supplied to the discharge tube (3000) are converted into synthetic gas through plasma reforming.
  • the ignition antenna structure (2100) and the maintenance antenna structure (2200) may be connected to one or more RF generators (1000).
  • the ignition antenna structure (2100) and the maintenance antenna structure (2200) may be connected to the same RF generator (1000).
  • the frequency of the RF generator (1000) when applying an AC voltage to the ignition antenna structure (2100) and the frequency of the RF generator (1000) when applying an AC voltage to the maintenance antenna structure (2200) may be the same or different.
  • one RF generator (1000) can supply an AC voltage to the ignition antenna structure (2100) and the sustaining antenna structure (2200) simultaneously.
  • One RF generator (1000) and the ignition antenna structure (2100) can be electrically connected in series, and the sustaining antenna structure (2200) and one RF generator (1000) can be electrically connected in series.
  • the ignition antenna structure (2100) and the sustaining antenna structure (2200) can be electrically connected in parallel.
  • the ignition antenna structure (2100) and the sustaining antenna structure (2200) may be connected to two RF generators (1001, 1002) (see FIG. 7).
  • the ignition antenna structure (2100) may be connected to the first RF generator (1001), and the sustaining antenna structure (2200) may be connected to the second RF generator (1002).
  • the first RF generator (1001) and the second RF generator (1002) may apply an AC voltage to the ignition antenna structure (2100) and the sustaining antenna structure (2200), respectively, and the time intervals during which the first RF generator (1001) and the second RF generator (1002) apply an AC voltage to the ignition antenna structure (2100) and the sustaining antenna structure (2200), respectively, are determined independently from each other, but at least some of them may overlap.
  • the first RF generator (1001) and the second RF generator (1002) may start applying AC voltage to the ignition antenna structure (2100) and the sustaining antenna structure (2200) at the same time, respectively, and the second RF generator (1002) may start applying AC voltage to the sustaining antenna structure (2200) after the first RF generator (1001) starts applying AC voltage to the ignition antenna structure (2100).
  • the first RF generator (1001) may start applying AC voltage to the ignition antenna structure (2100) after the second RF generator (1002) starts applying AC voltage to the sustaining antenna structure (2200).
  • the second RF generator (1002) may start applying the AC voltage to the sustaining antenna structure (2200), or the second RF generator (1002) may start applying the AC voltage to the sustaining antenna structure (2200) while the first RF generator (1001) is applying the AC voltage to the ignition antenna structure (2100).
  • the first RF generator (1001) may start applying the AC voltage to the ignition antenna structure (2100) while the second RF generator (1002) is applying the AC voltage to the sustaining antenna structure (2200).
  • the plasma generating device (100) may be configured without an ignition antenna structure (2100). That is, a sustaining antenna structure (2200) may surround the outer wall of the discharge tube (3000), and the ignition antenna structure (2100) may be absent. In this case, the RF generator (1000) may be electrically connected in series to the sustaining antenna structure (2200).
  • the ignition antenna structure (2100) is electrically connected in series with the first RF generator (1001), and the sustaining antenna structure (2200) is electrically connected in series with the second RF generator (1002).
  • the idea of the present disclosure can be equally applied even when the ignition antenna structure (2100) and the sustaining antenna structure (2200) are connected to a single RF generator (1000).
  • the plasma generation/induction process when the ignition antenna structure (2100) and the maintenance antenna structure (2200) surround the outer wall of the discharge tube (3000) will be examined.
  • FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a process of generating/inducing plasma according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • a plasma generation device (100) may include a discharge tube (3000) that provides a space where plasma is generated, an ignition antenna structure (2100) disposed around the discharge tube (3000), a maintenance antenna structure (2200), a first RF generator (1001) that applies power to the ignition antenna structure (2100), and a second RF generator (1002) that applies power to the maintenance antenna structure (2200).
  • the discharge tube (3000) may include an inlet (3100) for injecting an auxiliary gas and an outlet (3200) for processing the auxiliary gas and discharging it from the discharge tube (3000).
  • the auxiliary gas is a gas used for plasma generation and may also be referred to as a process gas.
  • the process of inducing plasma can be broadly divided into the plasma ignition process and the plasma maintaining process.
  • auxiliary gas is introduced into the discharge tube (3000) through the injection part (3100) of the discharge tube (3000), and when voltage is applied to the ignition antenna structure (2100) by the first RF generator (1001) to form an electric field (E1), the introduced auxiliary gas is accelerated by the electric field (E1) and undergoes a phase transition into plasma.
  • the plasma transitions from the E mode, in which capacitive coupling is dominant, to the H mode, in which inductive coupling is dominant, as the electron density increases.
  • the plasma of the auxiliary gas can be generated/induced in the internal space of the discharge tube (3000) corresponding to the ignition antenna structure (2100), like the plasma (1) of FIG. 7.
  • the second RF generator (1002) may also apply voltage to the sustaining antenna structure (2200).
  • the first RF generator (1001) may apply voltage to the ignition antenna structure (2100), while the second RF generator (1002) may not apply voltage to the sustaining antenna structure (2200).
  • the second RF generator (1002) may also apply voltage to the sustaining antenna structure (2200) after or simultaneously with the first RF generator (1001) applying voltage to the ignition antenna structure (2100).
  • the first RF generator (1001) may apply voltage to the ignition antenna structure (2100) after the second RF generator (1002) applies voltage to the sustain antenna structure (2200) during the plasma ignition process.
  • the ignition antenna structure (2100) is an expression used to distinguish it from the maintenance antenna structure (2200) for convenience of explanation.
  • the ignition antenna structure (2100) may also be referred to as a first antenna structure, which means any antenna structure.
  • the electrode attached to the discharge tube (300) may be omitted from the plasma generation device (100).
  • an alternating current is applied to the maintenance antenna structure (2200) by the second RF generator (1002), thereby generating a continuously changing magnetic field.
  • an induced electric field (E2) is formed according to the change in this magnetic field, particles in the H mode plasma state continuously move by the induced electric field (E2), so that the plasma can be stably maintained.
  • the movement of the plasma into the internal space of the discharge tube (3000) corresponding to the maintenance antenna structure (2200) means that the plasma (1) generated in the internal space of the discharge tube (3000) corresponding to the ignition antenna structure (2100), like the plasma (2) in FIG. 7, spreads to the internal space of the discharge tube (3000) corresponding to the maintenance antenna structure (2200). That is, the plasma (1) generated during the ignition process spreads during the plasma maintenance process and exists inside the discharge tube (3000) like the plasma (2).
  • the maintenance antenna structure (2200) is an expression used to distinguish it from the ignition antenna structure (2100) for convenience of explanation.
  • the maintenance antenna structure (2200) may be referred to as a second antenna structure, which refers to any antenna structure.
  • the process of inducing plasma can be understood as the ignition antenna structure (2100) and the first RF generator (1001) are used to cause the auxiliary gas to be in an E mode plasma state and then to be transferred to an H mode plasma state, and the maintenance antenna structure (2200) and the second RF generator (1002) are used to maintain the H mode plasma state.
  • the first RF generator (1001) may also still apply voltage to the ignition antenna structure (2100).
  • the voltage supply of the first RF generator (1001) may be stopped.
  • the completion of the ignition of the plasma can mean that the auxiliary gas transitions from the E mode plasma state to the H mode plasma state. Therefore, in this specification, after the ignition of the plasma is completed, an operation for maintaining the H mode plasma state can be performed. Meanwhile, in the E mode plasma state, the plasma can be transitioned to the H mode plasma state as the amount of plasma increases while continuously induced/generated. Therefore, when the ignition of the plasma is completed, the plasma generated inside the discharge tube (3000) can be greater than or equal to a reference amount. In other words, when the plasma is generated within the discharge tube (3000) in an amount greater than or equal to a reference amount, it can be determined that the ignition of the plasma is completed.
  • the plasma generation/induction process when the maintenance antenna structure (2200) surrounds the outer wall of the discharge tube (3000) will be examined.
  • FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a process of generating/inducing plasma according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • a plasma generation device (100) may include a discharge tube (3000) that provides a space where plasma is generated, a maintenance antenna structure (2200) arranged around the discharge tube (3000), and an RF generator (1000) that applies power to the maintenance antenna structure (2200).
  • the discharge tube (3000) may include an inlet (3100) for injecting an auxiliary gas, and an outlet (3200) for processing the auxiliary gas and discharging it from the discharge tube (3000).
  • the auxiliary gas is a gas used for plasma generation and may also be referred to as a process gas.
  • the process of inducing plasma can be broadly divided into a plasma ignition process and a plasma maintaining process.
  • auxiliary gas is introduced into the discharge tube (3000) through the injection part (3100) of the discharge tube (3000), and when voltage is applied to the sustain antenna structure (2200) by the RF generator (1000) to form an electric field (E1), the introduced auxiliary gas is accelerated by the electric field (E1) and undergoes a phase transition into plasma.
  • the plasma transitions from the E mode, in which capacitive coupling is dominant, to the H mode, in which inductive coupling is dominant, as the electron density increases.
  • plasma of the auxiliary gas can be generated/induced in the internal space of the discharge tube (3000) corresponding to the sustain antenna structure (2200).
  • a continuously changing magnetic field is generated by an alternating current flowing through the maintenance antenna structure (2200) by an RF generator (1000).
  • an induced electric field (E2) is formed according to this change in the magnetic field, the plasma can be stably maintained as particles in the H mode plasma state continuously move in the internal space of the discharge tube (3000) by the induced electric field (E2).
  • Fig. 9 shows an example in which a controller (1500) controls four switches (S1 to S4) included in an inverter (1300) through first to fourth switch control signals.
  • the horizontal axes indicate time (T)
  • the vertical axes indicate the first to fourth switch control signals and the output voltage (VO)
  • the unit of the vertical axes may be voltage (V).
  • the symbols corresponding to the first to fourth switch control signals are named as switches (S1 to S4) corresponding to the respective switch control signals. That is, in Fig. 9, S1 indicates a first switch control signal for controlling switch S1, S2 indicates a second switch control signal for controlling switch S2, and so on.
  • S3 indicates a third switch control signal for controlling switch S3, and S4 indicates a fourth switch control signal for controlling switch S4.
  • the first and third switch control signals (S1, S3) can be controlled as a pair
  • the second and fourth switch control signals (S2, S4) can be controlled as a pair.
  • the third switch control signal (S3) can also have a high level.
  • the fourth switch control signal (S4) can also have a high level.
  • the fourth switch control signal (S4) can also have a low level.
  • the first and third switch control signals (S1, S3) and the second and fourth switch control signals (S2, S4) can be complementarily controlled.
  • the second and fourth switch control signals (S2, S4) can have a low level.
  • the second and fourth switch control signals (S2, S4) can have a high level.
  • the switch corresponding to the switch control signal When the switch control signal has a high level, the switch corresponding to the switch control signal can be turned on. On the other hand, when the switch control signal has a low level, the switch corresponding to the switch control signal can be turned off.
  • the output voltage (Vo) can have a value of -Vin (hereinafter, the second value).
  • Vin may refer to the magnitude of the DC voltage supplied from the DC power source to the inverter (1300).
  • the first value may refer to the potential applied to the node (1610) being higher by Vin than the potential applied to the node (1630).
  • the second value may refer to the potential applied to the node (1610) being lower by Vin than the potential applied to the node (1630).
  • the magnitude of the current supplied to the load can be reduced. For example, if the amount of power is reduced by a factor of four, the magnitude of the AC current flowing to the load can be reduced by a factor of two. By reducing the magnitude of the AC current flowing to the load, damage that may occur to the switches (S1 to S4) of the inverter (1300) and the antenna structure (2000) can be reduced. In addition, by reducing the magnitude of the AC current flowing to the load, the arcing phenomenon that may occur in the antenna structure (2000) can be reduced.
  • Fig. 11 shows a method of controlling switches (S1 to S4) of an inverter (1300) to reduce the amount of power applied to a load in a structure of a conventional inverter (1300) as described above.
  • the average voltage is reduced by half and the average power is reduced by four times compared to the existing switch control method according to Fig. 10. Accordingly, the current applied to the load can be reduced by two times, thereby reducing damage that may occur to the switches (S1 to S4) of the inverter (1300) and the antenna structure (2000).
  • Fig. 11 shows that switches S1 and S2 are selectively turned on or off by alternating while keeping switch S3 turned on and keeping switch S4 turned off. Then, as shown in the right figure of Fig. 11, Vo is output as an AC voltage having a first value (+Vin) and a 0 [V] value alternately, and the AC current flowing to the load can be reduced by half compared to selectively turning on or off all of switches S1 to S4.
  • FIGS. 12 and 13 show examples of controlling only two switches among the four switches (S1 to S4) of the inverter (1300) as described above, and controlling one of the remaining two switches to be kept turned on and the other to be kept turned off.
  • FIG. 12(a) shows an operation in which the controller (1500) selectively alternately turns on or off the switches S1 and S2 while controlling the switch S3 to be turned on and the switch S4 to be turned off, as in FIG. 11.
  • Vo is output as an AC voltage having the first value (+Vin) and 0 [V] values alternately as described above, and is applied to the load.
  • Figure 12(b) shows an operation in which the controller (1500) selectively alternately turns the switches S1 and S2 on or off while controlling the switch S4 to be turned on and the switch S3 to be turned off.
  • Vo is output as an AC voltage that alternately has 0[V] and the second value (-Vin) and is applied to the load.
  • Figure 13(a) shows an operation in which the controller (1500) controls the switch S1 to be turned on and the switch S2 to be turned off, while selectively alternating the switches S3 and S4 to be turned on or off.
  • Vo is output as an AC voltage having the first value (+Vin) and 0 [V] values alternately and is applied to the load.
  • Figure 13(b) shows an operation in which the controller (1500) controls the switch S2 to be turned on and the switch S1 to be turned off, while selectively alternating the switches S3 and S4 to be turned on or off.
  • Vo is output as an AC voltage that alternately has 0[V] and a second value (-Vin) and is applied to the load.
  • the controller (1500) selectively turns on or off only two of the four switches (S1 to S4) included in the inverter (1300) and controls the remaining switches to remain turned on or off, the power amount can be reduced by four times as described above, and the AC current flowing to the load can be reduced by two times.
  • an operation mode in which four switches (S1 to S4) are controlled by one of the examples so that Vo has one of the first value and the second value and 0 [V] (i.e., two values) is defined as a “first operation mode.”
  • an operation in which the controller (1500) selectively turns on or off the switches S3 and S4, while keeping the switch S1 (or switch S2) turned on and keeping the switch S2 (or switch S1) turned off is also defined as a “first operation mode.”
  • controller (1500) selectively turns on or off all four switches (S1 to S4) as described in FIGS. 9 and 10 is defined as a “second operation mode.”
  • the "second operation mode" described in FIGS. 9 and 10 is described as having Vo only having the first and second values, but may also include a time interval having 0[V] in addition to the first and second values of Vo.
  • the controller (1500) can control switches S1 and S3 to have different levels in one time interval, or control switches S2 and S4 to have different levels in one time interval, so that a time interval having 0[V] is included.
  • the controller (1500) can control Vo to be output in the order of "first value - 0[V] - second value” in the second operation mode, or control Vo to be output in the order of "second value - 0[V] - first value", and the time intervals during which the first value, 0[V], and the second value are continuously output can be the same or different, respectively.
  • the “first operation mode” may mean that the controller (1500) controls Vo to output two values, 0 [V] and a first value (or a second value).
  • the “second operation mode” may mean that the controller (1500) controls Vo to output two values, the first value and the second value, or Vo to output three values, the first value, the second value, and 0 [V].
  • the difference between the maximum and minimum values of Vo when the controller (1500) controls the output of Vo according to the “second operation mode” may be twice as large as the difference between the maximum and minimum values of Vo when the controller (1500) controls the output of Vo according to the “first operation mode”.
  • the controller (1500) needs to control the switches (S1 to S4) by switching from the "first operation mode” to the “second operation mode” depending on the situation.
  • the controller (1500) controls the switches (S1 to S4) according to the “first operation mode”, and when the ignition of the plasma is completed, it controls the switches (S1 to S4) according to the “second operation mode”.
  • the inverter (1300) may be required to supply a greater amount of power to the load than before the ignition of the plasma was completed.
  • the impedance of the load increases, so that in order to supply the amount of power to maintain the plasma, it is necessary to increase the potential difference between the maximum value (e.g., the first value) and the minimum value (e.g., the second value) of the AC voltage applied across the antenna structure (2000).
  • the inverter (1300) when the inverter (1300) supplies power to the load according to the “second operation mode”, more power can be supplied than when it supplies power to the load according to the “first operation mode”.
  • the inverter (1300) applies the AC voltage to the antenna structure (2000) according to the “second operation mode”
  • the potential difference between the maximum value (e.g., the first value) and the minimum value (e.g., the second value) of the AC voltage is twice the potential difference between the maximum value (e.g., the first value) and the minimum value (e.g., the second value) of the AC voltage when the inverter (1300) applies the AC voltage to the antenna structure (2000) according to the “first operation mode”
  • the power that the inverter (1300) can supply to the antenna structure (2000) according to the “second operation mode” can be four times the power that the inverter (1300) can supply to the antenna structure (2000) according to the “first operation mode”.
  • the controller (1500) may be desirable for the controller (1500) to control the four switches (S1 to S4) of the inverter (1300) according to the “second operation mode” so that the inverter (1300) supplies sufficient power to the antenna structure (2000) to maintain the plasma.
  • the AC current flowing through the load decreases even if the same power is supplied to the load. Therefore, after the ignition of the plasma is completed, since the impedance of the load has sufficiently increased, even if the power provided to the antenna structure (2000) according to the "second operation mode" is four times the power provided to the antenna structure (2000) according to the "first operation mode", the AC current flowing through the load may not increase compared to before the ignition of the plasma is completed, or even if it increases, the risk of causing damage to the antenna structure (2000) or the switch (or the risk of causing an arcing phenomenon) may be significantly reduced.
  • the controller (1500) can control the four switches (S1 to S4) of the inverter (1300) according to the “first operation mode” until the ignition of the plasma is completed (S1401).
  • the controller (1500) determines whether the ignition of the plasma is completed (S1403). If the controller (1500) determines that the ignition of the plasma is completed, the controller (1500) can control the four switches of the inverter (1300) according to the “second operation mode” (S1405). If the controller (1500) determines that the ignition of the plasma is not completed, the controller (1500) returns to S1401 and can still control the four switches of the inverter (1300) according to the “first operation mode”.
  • the controller (1500) determines whether the ignition of the plasma is complete and maintenance of the generated plasma is required, and if maintenance of the generated plasma is determined to be required, the controller can control the switches (S1 to S4) controlled according to the “first operation mode” according to the “second operation mode”.
  • the fact that the ignition of the plasma is complete and that the generated plasma needs to be maintained means that the plasma has transitioned from the E mode state to the H mode state, and thus, it may mean that the amount of plasma generated inside the discharge tube (3000) is greater than a certain standard amount.
  • the controller (1500) controls the switches (S1 to S4) according to the “first operation mode”, and when the power consumption of the load reaches the power consumption that the “first operation mode” can support, the controller controls the switches (S1 to S4) according to the “second operation mode”.
  • the controller (1500) may need to control the switches (S1 to S4) by switching from the “first operation mode” to the “second operation mode.”
  • a limitation of the current that can flow to the plasma generation device (100) can be set. That is, the value of the maximum current that can flow to the plasma generation device (100) can be set.
  • the inverter (1300) can supply is less than the amount of power required to continuously induce/generate and maintain plasma, plasma cannot be properly generated, in other words, ignition of the plasma cannot be completed.
  • the controller (1500) may need to control the switches (S1 to S4) of the inverter (1300) by switching from the “first operation mode” to the “second operation mode” to increase the amount of power supplied to the load.
  • the amount of power that can be supplied according to the “first operation mode” can be determined by the value of the set maximum current and the AC voltage that can be applied to the load according to the “first operation mode”.
  • the controller (1500) can control four switches (S1 to S4) of the inverter (1300) according to a “first operation mode” (S1501).
  • the controller (1500) can determine whether the amount of power applied to the load has reached the maximum amount of power that can be provided to the load through the inverter (1300) using the “first operation mode” or a preset reference amount of power (S1503).
  • the fact that the amount of power applied to the load has reached the maximum amount of power or the preset reference amount of power may mean that the amount of power applied to the load is equal to the maximum amount of power or the preset reference amount of power, or differs from it within a certain range.
  • the controller (1500) can control the four switches (S1 to S4) of the inverter (1300) according to the “second operation mode” (S1505). If the amount of power applied to the load has not reached the maximum amount of power or the preset reference amount of power, the controller (1500) can return to S1501 and control the four switches (S1 to S4) of the inverter (1300) according to the “first operation mode”.
  • the amount of power applied to the load can be monitored in the same manner as in the “Method for determining whether ignition of plasma is complete” described later, “[1] Method for determining by monitoring power.” That is, the amount of power applied to the load can be calculated based on the input DC voltage and input DC current applied to the inverter (1300).
  • the controller (1500) can monitor the power applied to the load and determine that the ignition of the plasma is complete when the monitored power satisfies a certain condition.
  • the controller (1500) can estimate the power applied to the load based on the input DC voltage and input DC current applied to the inverter (1300).
  • the transfer efficiency between the power applied to the inverter (1300) and the power delivered to the load is close to 100%. Accordingly, the input DC power of the inverter (1300) is very similar to the power applied to the load. Therefore, if the input DC power is calculated based on the input DC voltage and input DC current of the inverter (1300), the calculated input DC power can be estimated as the power applied to the load.
  • the meaning of monitoring the power applied to the load or measuring the power applied to the load in this specification may be interpreted to mean calculating the input DC power applied to the inverter (1300).
  • the impedance value of the load changes. Accordingly, the resonant frequency of the entire load also changes according to the variable impedance value of the load. If the resonant frequency and the frequency of the AC voltage applied to the load by the inverter (1300) are different, the power efficiency decreases, thereby lowering the efficiency of plasma generation/induction.
  • the controller (1500) can control the frequency of the switch control signal based on the phase difference or delay time between the AC voltage applied to the load and the AC current flowing in the load so that the resonant frequency of the load and the frequency of the AC voltage are identical. That is, since the frequency of the AC voltage applied to the load is adjusted by the frequency of the switch control signal, the frequency of the AC voltage can be controlled to be as close as possible to the resonant frequency of the load by the controller (1500) controlling the frequency of the switch control signal.
  • This frequency control method can be defined as "frequency tracking.”
  • the aforementioned frequency tracking may or may not be used during the plasma generation process. Furthermore, depending on whether frequency tracking is applied, the method for determining whether plasma ignition is complete through power monitoring may differ.
  • the amount of power applied to the load decreases. Therefore, when the ignition of the plasma is complete and the plasma is generated in an amount exceeding the reference amount, the impedance value and equivalent resistance of the load will increase, and since the AC voltage applied to the load is constant according to the "first operation mode", the amount of power applied to the load will decrease.
  • the impedance of the load is set so that the phase of the AC voltage applied to the load is ahead of the phase of the AC current flowing in the load.
  • the impedance of the load is in an inductive state. Accordingly, when applying the AC voltage to the antenna structure (2000) to generate/induce plasma, the frequency of the AC voltage applied to the load by the inverter (1300) is set to a value slightly higher than the resonant frequency of the load.
  • the input DC power applied to the inverter (1300) when the AC voltage starts to be applied to the load is very small.
  • the impedance of the load may be such that the phase of the AC current flowing in the load is ahead of the phase of the AC voltage applied to the load, or even if the phase of the AC voltage applied to the load is ahead of the phase of the AC current flowing in the load, the phase difference or delay time may be less than the phase difference or delay time at the time when the power starts to be applied.
  • the controller (1500) can determine that plasma is generated in an amount greater than a reference amount and that plasma ignition is complete when the monitored power exceeds a second threshold value or the amount of increase in power per unit time is greater than a certain level.
  • [2] A method for determining whether plasma ignition is complete by monitoring the phase difference or delay time between the AC voltage applied to the load and the current flowing through the load.
  • the phase of the AC current flowing through the load leads the phase of the AC voltage applied to the load in the impedance of the load. This is because when plasma ignition is completed, the impedance value of the load increases and the inductance of the load decreases, resulting in a capacitive state in which the phase of the AC current flowing through the load leads the phase of the AC voltage applied to the load.
  • the switch control signal for assuming the virtual signal may be the switch S3.
  • the switch control signal for assuming a virtual signal may be a switch control signal input to switch S2 or switch S4.
  • the switch control signal for assuming a virtual signal may be switch S2.
  • the controller (1500) may invert the switch control signal input to switch S2 and shift it by a certain period of time to assume a virtual signal.
  • the controller (1500) may shift the switch control signal input to switch S2 by a certain period of time to assume a virtual signal, and invert the phase signal of the output current.
  • the switch control signal for calculating the phase difference or delay time may be the switch S4.
  • the controller (1500) may invert the switch control signal input to the switch S4 and shift it by a certain period of time to assume it as a virtual signal.
  • the controller (1500) may shift the switch control signal input to the switch S4 by a certain period of time to assume it as a virtual signal and invert the phase signal of the output current.
  • the controller (1500) can count the value from the rising edge of the virtual signal to the falling edge of the virtual signal according to the clock of the controller (1500). For example, the section corresponding to (2) in FIG. 16 can be counted according to the clock of the controller (1500). This is called a “first counting value.”
  • the controller (1500) can count from the rising edge of the virtual signal to the falling edge of the phase signal of the output current according to the clock of the controller (1500).
  • the section corresponding to (3) in FIG. 16 can be counted according to the clock of the controller (1500). This is called a "second counting value.”
  • the controller (1500) can determine that the plasma ignition is completed by determining that the phase of the AC current flowing in the load is in a capacitive state that is ahead of the phase of the AC voltage applied to the load when "the first counting value - the second counting value ⁇ 0". That is, the value obtained by subtracting the second counting value from the first counting value may mean the phase difference or delay time between the AC voltage applied to the load and the AC current flowing in the load. In addition, when the value obtained by subtracting the second counting value from the first counting value is 0 or less, it can be determined that the phase of the AC current flowing in the load is in a capacitive state that is ahead of the phase of the AC voltage applied to the load.
  • whether to monitor the power applied to the load (or the input DC power applied to the inverter (1300)) to determine whether plasma ignition is complete or to monitor the phase difference between the AC voltage applied to the load and the AC current flowing in the load to determine whether plasma ignition is complete may vary depending on the situation. Determining whether plasma ignition is complete by monitoring the phase difference or delay time has the effect of being able to determine whether plasma ignition is complete even if the power loss of the antenna structure (2000) itself is large. That is, when the power loss of the antenna structure (2000) itself is large, even though plasma ignition is not complete, it may be determined that plasma ignition is complete because the power supplied to the load is measured to be large. Therefore, when the power loss of the antenna structure (2000) itself is large, it is effective to determine whether plasma ignition is complete by monitoring the phase difference or delay time.
  • monitoring the phase difference or delay time to determine whether plasma ignition is complete has the advantage of being able to monitor regardless of the magnitude of the AC voltage applied to the load and the AC current flowing in the load or the magnitude of the input DC voltage and input DC current applied to the inverter (1300).
  • the operation of the plasma generation device (100) may be started in a state where there is almost no phase difference or delay time between the resonant frequency of the load and the frequency of the AC voltage applied to the load. In this case, it may be more efficient to determine whether plasma ignition is complete by monitoring the phase difference or delay time between the AC voltage applied to the load and the AC current flowing to the load.
  • the antenna structure (2000) surrounding the outer wall of the plasma generation device (100) is an ignition antenna structure (2100) and a maintenance antenna structure (2200) is two
  • the case where the antenna structure (2000) surrounding the outer wall of the plasma generation device (100) is a single maintenance antenna structure (2200) and the process in which the controller (1500) controls four switches (S1 to S4) of the inverter (1300) according to the “first operation mode” and the “second operation mode” will be examined.
  • the antenna structure (2200) surrounding the outer wall of the plasma generation device (100) may be a single maintenance antenna structure (2200).
  • the plasma generation device (100) may operate as described in Figs. 14 and 15.
  • the plasma generation device (100) can operate the RF generator (1000) to supply an AC voltage to the sustain antenna structure (2200) according to the “first operation mode.”
  • the controller (1500) can apply a switch control signal to the inverter (1300) according to the “first operation mode” to supply an AC voltage to the antenna structure (2200).
  • the controller (1500) determines that plasma ignition is complete as described in FIG. 14, it can apply a switch control signal to the inverter (1300) according to the “second operation mode” to supply an AC voltage to the antenna structure (2200).
  • the plasma generation device (100) can operate the RF generator (1000) to supply an AC voltage to the sustain antenna structure (2200) according to the “first operation mode.”
  • the controller (1500) can supply an AC voltage to the antenna structure (2200) by applying a switch control signal to the inverter (1300) according to the “first operation mode.”
  • the controller (1500) determines that the maximum power amount that can be supplied according to the “first operation mode” or a preset reference power amount has been reached as described in FIG. 15, the controller (1500) can supply an AC voltage to the antenna structure (2200) by applying a switch control signal to the inverter (1300) according to the “second operation mode.”
  • the antenna structure (2200) surrounding the outer wall of the plasma generation device (100) may be composed of two antenna structures: an ignition antenna structure (2100) and a maintenance antenna structure (2200).
  • the operation process of the plasma generation device (100) can be varied.
  • the operation performed by the first RF generator (1001) or the second RF generator (1002) should be understood as an operation controlled by the controller of the first RF generator (1001) or the controller of the second RF generator (1002).
  • the specific operation process of such a controller may follow the descriptions described above in this specification.
  • a first RF generator (1001) can supply a first AC voltage to an ignition antenna structure (2100) according to a first operation mode (S1701).
  • the first RF generator (1001) determines whether plasma ignition is completed (i.e., whether plasma is generated in an amount greater than a reference amount) in an internal space of a discharge tube (3000) corresponding to a position where the ignition antenna structure (2100) is arranged (S1703), and if it is determined that plasma ignition is completed, a second AC voltage can be supplied to the ignition antenna structure (2100) according to a second operation mode (S1705).
  • the second RF generator (1002) can supply the third AC voltage according to the second operation mode to the sustain antenna structure (2200) (S1707).
  • the second RF generator (1002) can determine whether the plasma generated in the internal space of the discharge tube (3000) corresponding to the position where the ignition antenna structure (2100) is placed has moved or spread to the internal space of the discharge tube (3000) corresponding to the position where the sustaining antenna structure (2200) is placed (S1709).
  • the second RF generator (1002) can determine whether the plasma has moved or spread by applying the same method as [Method for determining whether ignition of plasma is complete]. This is because, when the plasma has moved or spread to the internal space of the discharge tube (3000) corresponding to the position where the sustaining antenna structure (2200) is arranged, the impedance of the sustaining antenna structure (2200) will increase like the impedance of the ignition antenna structure (2100) until the ignition of the plasma is complete.
  • the second RF generator (1002) continuously supplies a third AC voltage to the maintenance antenna structure (2200) to maintain the plasma (S1711), while the first RF generator (1001) can stop supplying the AC voltage to the ignition antenna structure (2100) (S1713).
  • the time interval from the start of S1701 in FIG. 17 until the completion of S1703 may be referred to as the first time interval.
  • the time interval from the start of S1705 in FIG. 17 until the completion of S1709 may be referred to as the second time interval.
  • the interval in which S1711 and S1713 in FIG. 17 are performed may be referred to as the third time interval.
  • the second RF generator (1002) can supply the fourth AC voltage to the sustaining antenna structure (2200) according to the first operation mode or the second operation mode (i) simultaneously with the first RF generator supplying the first AC voltage to the ignition antenna structure (2100), or (ii) before the first RF generator supplies the first AC voltage to the ignition antenna structure (2100), or (iii) after the first RF generator supplies the first AC voltage to the ignition antenna structure (2100) but before plasma ignition is completed.
  • the second RF generator (1002) can supply a fourth AC voltage to the sustain antenna structure (2200) according to the second operation mode. This is because supplying the fourth AC voltage according to the second operation mode can supply greater power to the sustain antenna structure (2200) than supplying the fourth AC voltage according to the first operation mode.
  • the second RF generator (1002) may supply a fourth AC voltage according to the first operating mode.
  • the first RF generator (1001) determines whether plasma ignition is completed (i.e., whether plasma is generated in an amount greater than a reference amount) in the internal space of the discharge tube (3000) corresponding to the position where the ignition antenna structure (2100) is arranged (S1805), and if it is determined that plasma ignition is completed, the second AC voltage can be supplied to the ignition antenna structure (2100) according to the second operation mode (S1807). Meanwhile, the second RF generator (1002) can supply a third AC voltage according to the second operation mode to the maintenance antenna structure (2200) (S1809).
  • the second RF generator (1002) can determine whether the plasma generated in the internal space of the discharge tube (3000) corresponding to the position where the ignition antenna structure (2100) is arranged has moved or spread to the internal space of the discharge tube (3000) corresponding to the position where the sustain antenna structure (2200) is arranged (S1811). At this time, whether the plasma movement or spreading is complete is the same as that described while describing S1709 of FIG. 17, and thus, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.
  • the second RF generator (1002) continuously supplies a third AC voltage to the maintenance antenna structure (2200) to maintain the plasma (S1813), while the first RF generator (1001) can stop supplying the AC voltage to the ignition antenna structure (2100) (S1815).
  • the time interval from the start of S1801 in FIG. 18 until the completion of S1805 may be referred to as the first time interval.
  • the time interval from the start of S1807 in FIG. 18 until the completion of S1811 may be referred to as the second time interval.
  • the interval in which S1813 and S1815 in FIG. 18 are performed may be referred to as the third time interval.
  • a first RF generator (1001) can supply a first AC voltage to an ignition antenna structure (2100) according to a first operation mode (S1901).
  • the first RF generator (1001) measures the amount of power supplied to a load and determines whether the amount of power supplied in the first operation mode has reached the maximum amount of power supplyable or the preset reference amount of power (S1903). If it is determined that the amount of power supplied to the load has reached the maximum amount of power supplyable or the preset reference amount of power supplyable in the first operation mode, the first RF generator (1001) supplies a second AC voltage according to a second operation mode to the ignition antenna structure (2100) (S1905). The first RF generator (1001) can determine whether plasma ignition is completed (S1907).
  • steps S1909 to S1915 can be performed. At this time, the operation process of S1909 to S1915 is the same as the operation process of S1707 to S1713 of Fig. 17, so a detailed description will be omitted.
  • the time interval from the start of S1901 in FIG. 19 until the completion of S1907 may be referred to as the first time interval.
  • the time interval from the start of S1709 in FIG. 19 until the completion of S1711 may be referred to as the second time interval.
  • the interval in which S1913 and S1915 in FIG. 19 are performed may be referred to as the third time interval.
  • a first RF generator (1001) can supply a first AC voltage to an ignition antenna structure (2100) according to a first operation mode (S2001).
  • a second RF generator (1002) can supply a fourth AC voltage to a sustaining antenna structure (2200) according to the first operation mode or the second operation mode (S2003).
  • the second RF generator (1002) can supply the fourth AC voltage to the sustaining antenna structure (2200) according to the first operation mode or the second operation mode (i) simultaneously with the first RF generator supplying the first AC voltage to the ignition antenna structure (2100), or (ii) before the first RF generator supplies the first AC voltage to the ignition antenna structure (2100), or (iii) after the first RF generator supplies the first AC voltage to the ignition antenna structure (2100) but before plasma ignition is completed.
  • the example of the second RF generator (1002) supplying the fourth AC voltage according to the first operation mode and the example of supplying the fourth AC voltage according to the second operation mode are the same as those disclosed in the description related to S1803 of FIG. 18, and are omitted as they are redundant descriptions.
  • the first RF generator (1001) can perform steps S2005 to S2009. Steps S2005 to S2009 are identical to steps S1903 to S1907 of FIG. 19, and thus, a redundant description thereof will be omitted. Subsequently, steps S2011 to S2017 are performed, and steps S2011 to S2017 are identical to steps S1809 to S1815 of FIG. 18, and thus, a redundant description thereof will be omitted.
  • the time interval from the start of S2001 until the completion of S2009 can be referred to as the first time interval. Furthermore, in FIG. 20, the time interval from the start of S2011 until the completion of S2013 can be referred to as the second time interval. Furthermore, in FIG. 20, the interval during which S2015 and S2017 are performed can be referred to as the third time interval.
  • the first RF generator (1001) continuously supplies the second AC voltage to the ignition antenna structure (2100) according to the second operation mode during the second time interval. That is, it should be understood that the first RF generator (1001) continuously supplies the second AC voltage to the ignition antenna structure (2100) according to the second operation mode until the AC voltage supply of the first RF generator (1001) is stopped (e.g., until the third time interval begins) after supplying the second AC voltage to the ignition antenna structure (2100) according to the second operation mode during the first time interval.
  • the controller (1500) may control the switches S1 to S4 of the inverter (1300) according to the "second operation mode.”
  • the controller (1500) may switch back to the "first operation mode” and control the switches S1 to S4 of the inverter (1300).
  • the “second operation mode” means that the controller (1500) controls Vo to have two values, a first value (+Vin) and a second value (-Vin), or three values, a first value (+Vin), a second value (-Vin), and 0[V].
  • the controller (1500) can continuously output the first value, 0[V], and the second value as Vo at different time intervals or can be the same.
  • the controller (1500) differently controls the time intervals during which the first value, 0 [V], and second value are continuously output as Vo, the AC power provided to the load can be controlled.
  • the driving frequency of the output voltage means the target frequency of the AC voltage, AC current and/or AC power that the controller (1500) intends to output to the load. If, in a time interval such as Time Interval A of Fig. 21 where the first value and the second value are alternately output, the driving frequency becomes the fundamental frequency, which is the strongest frequency component among the frequency components of the square pulse waveform. In addition, when the driving frequency matches the resonant frequency of the load, the transfer efficiency of the power applied to the load is maximized.
  • the controller (1500) controls the AC power provided to the load according to the above-described method, so that even if the “first operation mode” is not performed, damage to the switch or an arcing phenomenon that may occur in the antenna structure (2000) can be prevented.
  • the controller (1500) may set the target power to be lower than a first power before plasma ignition. Then, the controller (1500) may determine an output voltage pattern in which the ratio of the freewheeling section is higher than or equal to the first ratio or the length of the freewheeling section is higher than or equal to the first length according to the lowered target power, and control the switches (S1 to S4) to output Vo according to the determined output voltage pattern.
  • the lowered target power, the first ratio of the freewheeling section, and the first length of the freewheeling section may be determined so that the current flowing to the load is lower than or equal to the allowable current limit of the switches (S1 to S4) included in the inverter (1300), or may be values determined so as to prevent an arcing phenomenon that may occur in the antenna structure (2000).
  • the controller (1500) may set the target power high to a second power or higher.
  • the second power may be equal to or higher than the first power.
  • the controller (1500) may determine an output voltage pattern in which the ratio of the freewheeling section is equal to or lower than the second ratio or the length of the freewheeling section is equal to or lower than the second length according to the target power set high, and control the switches (S1 to S4) to output Vo according to the determined output voltage pattern.
  • the second ratio may be equal to or lower than the first ratio
  • the second length may be equal to or shorter than the first length.
  • the length of the freewheeling section can be set to be very long.
  • the freewheeling section included in the output voltage pattern determined according to the target power amount and/or the current power amount may not have a relatively short section as in Fig. 23(a), but may have a considerably long section as in Fig. 23(b).
  • the length of the freewheeling section included in the output voltage pattern becomes significantly long, as in Fig. 23(b), the current flowing to the load within the freewheeling section may be reduced more than necessary, so that the ignited plasma may not be maintained and may disappear, or the plasma may not be ignited. Accordingly, an increase in the length of the freewheeling section beyond a predetermined maximum length may not be permitted for maintaining the plasma. In particular, since the current decays faster as the time constant of the load decreases, the length of the freewheeling section may become shorter than the predetermined maximum length as the time constant of the load decreases.
  • the controller (1500) can control the power provided to the load by controlling the Vo value according to an output voltage pattern including at least one freewheeling section and one powering section in the "first operation mode".
  • Fig. 24 shows the length of the freewheeling section set in the "second operation mode” (Fig. 24(a)) and the length of the freewheeling section set in the "first operation mode” (Fig. 24(b)) to provide the same amount of power.
  • the controller (1500) outputs only one of the first value and the second value as Vo, the amplitude of the output voltage applied to the load is reduced to Vin. Therefore, in order to provide the same amount of power in the "first operation mode", the controller (1500) must set a shorter freewheeling section than the freewheeling section in the "second operation mode".
  • the powering section (P-section) in the “first operation mode” means a section in which the first value (or second value) or 0[V] is output during a half cycle of the driving frequency of the output voltage (or output power), and accordingly, the powering section in the “first operation mode” has a length equal to the half cycle of the driving frequency.
  • the freewheeling section (F-section) in the "first operation mode” means a section in which 0[V] is continuously output for M times the half-cycle of the driving frequency of the output voltage (or output power) (M is a natural number greater than or equal to 2), and accordingly, the freewheeling section in the "first operation mode” has a length that is an integer multiple of two or more times the half-cycle of the driving frequency.
  • the powering section has a length equal to half a period of the driving frequency
  • the freewheeling section has a length equal to an integer multiple of two or more times the half period of the driving frequency, so that the phase of the output voltage of the inverter (1300) corresponds to or is the same as the phase of the output current, thereby enabling soft switching of the switches (S1 to S4).
  • the freewheeling section causes the frequency component corresponding to the driving frequency of the output voltage to be attenuated or disappear when Vo is output, thereby reducing the current flowing to the load and controlling the power provided to the load.
  • the power control operation of the controller (1500) in the “first operation mode” is different from the power control operation of the controller (1500) in the “second operation mode” described above in that it controls the operation of two switches as described below.
  • the controller (1500) can control the switches S1 and S2 to be selectively turned on or off so that Vo is output according to the changed/determined output voltage pattern, while keeping S3 turned on and keeping S4 turned off.
  • the controller (1500) can control the switches S1 to be turned on and S2 to be turned off so that Vo is output according to the changed/determined output voltage pattern, while controlling the switches S3 and S4 to be selectively turned on or turned off.
  • the controller (1500) can control the switches S1 and S2 to be selectively turned on or off so that Vo is output according to the changed/determined output voltage pattern, while keeping S4 turned on and keeping S3 turned off.
  • the controller (1500) can control the switches S2 to be turned on and S1 to be turned off so that Vo is output according to the changed/determined output voltage pattern, while controlling the switches S3 and S4 to be selectively turned on or off.
  • the controller (1500) performs the “power control method using the freewheeling section in the first operation mode” to control the switches of the inverter (1300) according to an output voltage pattern including at least one freewheeling section, thereby providing relatively less AC power to the load.
  • the controller (1500) may operate in the "first operation mode", and control the switches of the inverter (1300) according to a predetermined output voltage pattern to provide relatively small AC power to the load.
  • the total length of the freewheeling section included in the predetermined output voltage pattern may be a predetermined length, and the length of each freewheeling section included in the predetermined output voltage pattern and the arrangement of each freewheeling section may also be predetermined.
  • the controller (1500) may control the total length of the freewheeling section and/or the ratio of the freewheeling section in the "first operation mode" to decrease compared to before plasma ignition.
  • the target power amount after plasma ignition may be the same as, or smaller or larger than, the target power amount before plasma ignition.
  • the controller (1500) can operate by switching to the "second operation mode" as described above when the plasma is ignited. At this time, after switching to the "second operation mode," the controller (1500) can perform the "power control method using the freewheeling section in the second operation mode" as described in FIG. 22. Even at this time, if the target power amount was set before the plasma ignition, the target power amount after the plasma ignition may be the same as the target power amount before the plasma ignition, or may be smaller or larger.
  • the controller (1500) may also control the switches of the inverter (1300) according to an output voltage pattern consisting only of a powering section without a freewheeling section in the “second operating mode”.
  • the controller (1500) can configure an output voltage pattern with only a powering section without a freewheeling section in the first operation mode, and control the switches of the inverter (1300) according to the configured output voltage pattern.
  • the controller (1500) switches to the “second operation mode” and can perform the “power control method using the freewheeling section in the second operation mode” as described in FIG. 22.
  • the controller (1500) can control the switches S1 to S4 of the inverter (1300) according to the “second operation mode” to maintain the plasma. At this time, the controller (1500) can select an output voltage pattern including a freewheeling section according to [a method for controlling power using a freewheeling section in the “second operation mode”], and control the switches S1 to S4 according to the selected output voltage pattern.
  • the controller (1500) can control the switches S1 to S4 of the inverter (1300) by switching from the “second operation mode” back to the “first operation mode”, or can control the switches S1 to S4 according to the [power control method using the freewheeling section in the “first operation mode”] after switching to the “first operation mode”.
  • the controller (1500) controls the switches S1 to S4 of the inverter (1300) by switching from the "second operation mode" to the "first operation mode", or controls the switches S1 to S4 according to the [power control method using the freewheeling section in the "first operation mode”] after switching to the "first operation mode", so that the freewheeling section can be set shorter than when operating in the "second operation mode".
  • the controller (1500) may control the switches S1 to S4 of the inverter (1300) by switching from the "second operation mode” to the "first operation mode” to prevent the plasma from being maintained and disappearing, or may control the switches S1 to S4 according to the [power control method using the freewheeling section in the "first operation mode”] after switching to the "first operation mode".
  • the inverter (1300) described in FIGS. 3 and 4 is a full-bridge inverter that provides an AC voltage to a load using four switches (S1 to S4).
  • the "first operating mode” is an example of an operating mode in which two of the four switches (S1 to S4) of the full-bridge inverter are controlled so that the output voltage value has one of two values, thereby operating like a half-bridge inverter.
  • Figures 26 and 27 show an RF generator (1000) including a half-bridge inverter (1800).
  • the half-bridge inverter (1800) includes four switches (S1 to S4) included in a full-bridge inverter (1300), including switch S1 and switch S2, and switch S3 and switch S4 are replaced with capacitors (C DC ).
  • the controller (1500) controls the operation of the switches S1 and S2 to provide the output voltage to the load.
  • the controller (1500) can control the output voltage Vo to be (+Vin)/2 (hereinafter, the third value) by turning on the switch S1 and turning off the switch S2.
  • the controller (1500) can control the output voltage Vo to be (-Vin)/2 (hereinafter, the fourth value) by turning on the switch S2 and turning off the switch S1. That is, the half-bridge inverter (1800) can output an output voltage having a value of (+Vin)/2 or (-Vin)/2.
  • FIG. 29(a) shows that the controller (1500) controls the switches (S1 to S2) of the half-bridge inverter (1800) to output a fourth value in the freewheeling section, thereby controlling power provided to the load
  • FIG. 29(b) shows that the controller (1500) controls the switches (S1 to S2) of the half-bridge inverter (1800) to output a third value in the freewheeling section, thereby controlling power provided to the load.
  • the powering section (P-section) of the half-bridge inverter (1800) means a section in which the third value or the fourth value is output during a half cycle of the driving frequency of the output voltage (or output power), and accordingly, the powering section of the half-bridge inverter (1800) has a length equal to the half cycle of the driving frequency.
  • the freewheeling section (F-section) of the half-bridge inverter (1800) means a section in which the fourth value or the third value is output for M times (M is a natural number greater than or equal to 2) the half-cycle of the driving frequency of the output voltage (or output power), and accordingly, the freewheeling section of the half-bridge inverter (1800) has a length that is an integer multiple of two or more times the half-cycle of the driving frequency.
  • M is a natural number greater than or equal to 2
  • the freewheeling section of the half-bridge inverter (1800) has a length that is an integer multiple of two or more times the half-cycle of the driving frequency.
  • the powering section has a length equal to half a period of the driving frequency
  • the freewheeling section has a length equal to an integer multiple of two or more times the half period of the driving frequency, so that the phase of the output voltage of the inverter (1300) corresponds to or is the same as the phase of the output current, thereby enabling soft switching of the switches (S1 to S4).
  • the controller (1500) can control the power provided to the load at predetermined cycles according to S2201 to S2213 described in FIG. 22.
  • the controller (1500) can control the switch S1 to be turned on and the switch S2 to be turned off in order to output Vo according to the changed/determined output voltage pattern.
  • the controller (1500) can control the switch S2 to be turned on and the switch S1 to be turned off in order to output Vo according to the changed/determined output voltage pattern.
  • FIGS. 30 and 31 show an RF generator (1000) including a half-bridge inverter (1900) of a different type from the half-bridge inverter (1800).
  • the half-bridge inverter (1900) of FIGS. 30 and 31 includes switch S1 and switch S2 among the four switches (S1 to S4) included in the full-bridge inverter (1300), and can be implemented in a form in which the switch S3 portion is shorted and the switch S4 portion is open, as shown in FIG. 30(a), or can be implemented in a form in which the switch S3 portion is open and the switch S4 portion is shorted, as shown in FIG. 31(a).
  • a half-bridge inverter (1900) such as Fig. 30(a)
  • switch S1 when switch S1 is turned on and switch S2 is turned off, a voltage of a first value is output, and when switch S2 is turned on and switch S1 is turned off, 0 [V] is output.
  • This is the same as controlling the switch S1 and switch S2 to be selectively turned on or off while controlling the switch S3 to always be turned on and the switch S4 to always be turned off in the above-described “first operation mode.”
  • the controller (1500) can control the half-bridge inverter (1900) of FIGS. 30(a) and 30(b) in the same manner as the operations described in [Method for controlling power using a freewheeling section in the “first operation mode”] and "[1] Operation example 1".
  • the half-bridge inverter (1900) of FIGS. 30(a) and 30(b) does not have switches S3 and S4, it cannot perform the operation of switching to the second operation mode.
  • the length and/or ratio of the freewheeling section can be increased before the plasma to prevent damage to the switch of the half-bridge inverter (1800) or arcing that may occur in the antenna structure (2000), and after the plasma ignition, the length and/or ratio of the freewheeling section can be reduced to provide power matching the target power amount to the load, thereby maintaining the plasma.
  • the voltage output in the freewheeling section can be a third or fourth value. Based on this, even in the "second operating mode," the controller (1500) can control the power provided to the load by outputting the first or second value in the freewheeling section.
  • FIG. 32 shows various methods by which a controller (1500) sets a freewheeling section when using an inverter (1300) (i.e., a full-bridge inverter) that performs “first operation mode” and “second operation mode.”
  • an inverter (1300) i.e., a full-bridge inverter
  • the controller (1500) can control the power applied to the load by controlling the operation of the switches (S1 to S4) of the inverter (1300) so that a second value (-Vin) is output during the freewheeling period. Meanwhile, as can be seen in the second freewheeling operation of FIG. 32, the controller (1500) can control the power applied to the load by controlling the operation of the switches (S1 to S4) of the inverter (1300) so that 0 [V] is output during the freewheeling period. In addition, as can be seen in the third freewheeling operation of FIG. 32, the controller (1500) can control the power applied to the load by controlling the operation of the switches (S1 to S4) of the inverter (1300) so that a first value (+Vin) is output during the freewheeling period.
  • the freewheeling section is defined as a section that outputs 0 [V] in the above FIGS. 21 and 22 and [the power control method using the freewheeling section in the “second operation mode”], it should not be interpreted as being limited thereto, and the value output in the freewheeling section may be a first value (+Vin) or a second value (-Vin).
  • the controller (1500) may determine the output voltage pattern by selecting any one of the first freewheeling operation, the second freewheeling operation, and the third freewheeling operation in the “second operation mode”, or may determine the output voltage pattern by combining two or more freewheeling operations among the first freewheeling operation, the second freewheeling operation, and the third freewheeling operation.
  • the freewheeling section in order to obtain a power control effect by outputting the first value or the second value in the freewheeling section, the freewheeling section must have a length that is an integer multiple of two or more of the half-cycle of the driving frequency of the output voltage, and this is to attenuate the frequency component of the driving frequency of the output voltage, as explained above.
  • the method of controlling the power applied to the load by setting the freewheeling section in the "first operation mode” and the method of controlling the power applied to the load by setting the freewheeling section in the "second operation mode” are described separately, but as described in the above-described operation example, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that the power control method in the "first operation mode” and the power control method in the "second operation mode” can be appropriately combined depending on the environment for generating plasma, the flow rate and type of the processing gas, and the application for which the plasma generating device (100) described in the present specification is used, and the scope of rights intended to be taken by the present specification should not be interpreted as being limited to each embodiment.
  • the method according to the embodiment may be implemented in the form of program commands that can be executed through various computer means and recorded on a computer-readable medium.
  • the computer-readable medium may include program commands, data files, data structures, etc., alone or in combination.
  • the program commands recorded on the medium may be those specially designed and configured for the embodiment or may be those known and available to those skilled in the art of computer software.
  • Examples of the computer-readable recording medium include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tapes, optical media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs, magneto-optical media such as floptical disks, and hardware devices specially configured to store and execute program commands, such as ROMs, RAMs, and flash memories.
  • Examples of the program commands include not only machine language codes generated by a compiler, but also high-level language codes that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter, etc.
  • the hardware devices described above may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the embodiment, and vice versa.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Plasma & Fusion (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Analytical Chemistry (AREA)
  • Plasma Technology (AREA)

Abstract

La présente divulgation concerne un appareil de génération de plasma pour générer un plasma. En particulier, l'appareil de génération de plasma peut comprendre : un tube à décharge qui fournit un espace de génération de plasma ; une antenne disposée de façon à entourer la paroi externe du tube à décharge ; un onduleur qui comprend deux bornes d'entrée pour recevoir une tension continue provenant d'une source d'alimentation CC, deux bornes de sortie pour fournir une tension alternative à l'antenne, et quatre commutateurs, et qui convertit la tension continue en tension alternative selon l'actionnement des quatre commutateurs ; et un dispositif de commande qui commande l'actionnement des quatre commutateurs.
PCT/KR2025/099449 2024-02-22 2025-02-19 Procédé et appareil de commande de la puissance fournie à une charge Pending WO2025178456A1 (fr)

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Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
KR20100004452A (ko) * 2008-07-04 2010-01-13 (주)소노텍 공진 전류를 상쇄하기 위한 스위칭 제어 장치 및 이를포함한 전력 변환 시스템
KR20120080166A (ko) * 2009-09-02 2012-07-16 램 리써치 코포레이션 플라즈마 프로세싱 시스템 내의 플라즈마 한정을 조작하기 위한 장치들 및 그 방법들
KR20190000625A (ko) * 2017-06-23 2019-01-03 인투코어테크놀로지 주식회사 전원 공급 장치 및 부하에 전원을 공급하는 방법
KR20210136744A (ko) * 2020-05-08 2021-11-17 인투코어테크놀로지 주식회사 정밀하게 주파수를 제어하기 위한 주파수 제어 방법 및 이를 이용하는 주파수 제어 장치
KR20230041992A (ko) * 2020-06-22 2023-03-27 인투코어테크놀로지 주식회사 전원 공급 장치

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
KR20100004452A (ko) * 2008-07-04 2010-01-13 (주)소노텍 공진 전류를 상쇄하기 위한 스위칭 제어 장치 및 이를포함한 전력 변환 시스템
KR20120080166A (ko) * 2009-09-02 2012-07-16 램 리써치 코포레이션 플라즈마 프로세싱 시스템 내의 플라즈마 한정을 조작하기 위한 장치들 및 그 방법들
KR20190000625A (ko) * 2017-06-23 2019-01-03 인투코어테크놀로지 주식회사 전원 공급 장치 및 부하에 전원을 공급하는 방법
KR20210136744A (ko) * 2020-05-08 2021-11-17 인투코어테크놀로지 주식회사 정밀하게 주파수를 제어하기 위한 주파수 제어 방법 및 이를 이용하는 주파수 제어 장치
KR20230041992A (ko) * 2020-06-22 2023-03-27 인투코어테크놀로지 주식회사 전원 공급 장치

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