Maxwell Laboratories, Inc.

University of California

Environmental Surface Technologies

Other

John F Asmus

Keith Boyer

Ralph H Lovberg

Gunter A Hofmann

Joseph E Dunn

Jay S Pearlman

R Wayne Clark

Fraincois Painchaud

Francois Painchaud

A plasma pinch having an inner/outer coaxial tube arrangement, which nested tube arrangement yields a higher-performance pinchlamp than is capable with a single-tube configuration. Further, each tube contains a separate gas, the inner tube filled with Argon, and the outer tube filled with Helium. The inner/outer coaxial tube arrangement of the present invention facilitates the use of an inner tube to contain a volume of Argon gas as the working gas. The outer tube is coaxial with the inner tube, surrounding the inner tube with contained Helium gas. The configuration of an outer tube filled with Helium presents external pressures to the inner tube. The contained Helium gas in the outer tube, among other things, compresses and supports the walls of the inner tube, enabling the inner tube to be smaller in diameter than prior art plasma chambers, which chambers would shatter if made with as small a diameter as the present inner tube.

Inner/outer coaxial tube arrangement for a plasma pinch chamber

A method and apparatus for the removal of coatings from surfaces utilizing UV energy. Preferably, the use of a laser-guided gas-embedded pinchlamp is utilized to remove paint coatings from aircraft surfaces. In a preferred form, the present invention provides a gas-embedded laser-guided pinchlamp device that, in operation, reduces toxic waste bi-products and can remove surface paint, in particular aircraft surface paint, or other coatings at a higher efficiency than all other alternative methods implemented or investigated to date. The present invention may preferably comprise eight distinct support systems; a plasma pinchlamp chamber, a power supply, a laser system, a gas supply system and coolant system, an optical reflector, a debris collection system for containing and catching toxic effluvients, an encasement device to contain effluvium in conjunction with the collection system, and a pinchlamp positioning system. It should be noted that the present invention need not incorporate all these systems in an operable embodiment. A gas-embedded laser-guided pinchlamp device is generally described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,450,568 to Asmus which patent and description of a pinchlamp device are incorporated herein by reference as if fully described herein.

Method and apparatus for utilizing a laser-guided gas-embedded pinchlamp device

The inventive system treating the surface of a material by utilizing high intensity ultraviolet light for glazing, cleaning and other such purposes. The system includes a high intensity ultraviolet light is generated by a liquid jet plasma pinch unit, and is repetitively pulsed to raise the surface temperature of the material rapidly to a predetermined high temperature. In one form of the invention, the system is mounted either on a vehicle, or on an overhead structure for facilitating the movement of the pinch unit to the surface to be treated. In another form of the invention, the pinch unit includes a light emitting assembly which can be lowered into an opening in a workpiece to be treated.

Plasma pinch surface treating apparatus and method of using same

A method for processing semiconductor material for annealing or circuitizing purposes, includes establishing a high intensity light which is controlled at a high repetition rate, and exposing it toward the surface of the semiconductor material to process it in an improved manner. The high speed light is directed transversely to the surface of the material to be processed, only to a shallow depth.

Method for processing semiconductor materials

A system for processing the surface of semiconductor material for annealing and etching purposes. The system established a high intensity ultraviolet light which is repetitively pulsed to rapidly raise the surface temperature of the semiconductor material to a predetermined temperature for either etching or annealing purposes.

System for processing semiconductor materials

Methods for food product preservation by inactivation of microorganisms and/or enzymes by applying pulses of very intense, very short duration pulses of light in the visible and near visible frequencies to the surface of food products to be preserved. Also disclosed are packaging methods and apparatus utilizing such intense, short pulses of polychromatic, incoherent light.

Methods for presevation of foodstuffs

A plasma pinch system includes a fluid-jet pinch device for establishing a plasma source composed of a tenuous vapor preconditioning cloud surrounding a central narrow flowing fine stream of fluid under pressure. A discharge device is connected electrically to the fluid-jet pinch device for supplying an electrical flow through a portion of the fluid stream for establishing an incoherent light emitting plasma therealong. A method of using the plasma pinch system for manufacturing semiconductors, includes exposing a semiconductor wafer to the incoherent light emitted by the plasma for either annealing or etching purposes.

Plasma pinch system and method of using same

Methods and apparatus for food product preservation by inactivation of microorganisms and/or enzymes by applying pulses of very intense, very short duration pulses of light in the visible and near visible frequencies to the surface of food products to be preserved. Also disclosed are packaging methods and apparatus utilizing such intense, short pulses of polychromatic, incoherent light.

Methods for aseptic packaging of medical devices

A plasma pinch system includes a fluid-jet pinch device for establishing a plasma source composed of a tenuous vapor preconditioning cloud surrounding a central narrow flowing fine stream of fluid under pressure. A discharge device is connected electrically to the fluid-jet pinch device for supplying an electrical flow through a portion of the fluid stream for establishing an incoherent light emitting plasma therealong. A method of using the plamsa pinch system for manufacturing semiconductors, includes exposing a semiconductor wafer to the incoherent light emitted by the plasma for either annealing or etching purposes.

Plasma pinch system

Methods for preservation of foodstuffs

As a method of decontaminating a surface covered with a chemical contaminant, a light-absorption agent providing a relatively high neutral density is applied to the surface in intimate contact with the contaminant. Then one or more flashes of high intensity, broad-band frequency, incoherent light is applied to the surface, whereupon, the light-absorption agent converts the absorbed light energy to heat, resulting in vaporization and/or decomposition of the contaminant. The heat generated by the short duration flash is localized at the material on the surface and at a very thin surface layer, and vaporization of the surface material dissipates the heat that is generated, whereby, the surface is substantially unaffected by the process.

Photodecontamination of surfaces

A preconditioning beam is used to excite gas particles preferentially along a channel between two electrodes in a laser chamber. The preconditioning beam may be an electron beam or a laser beam. An electrical discharge between the electrodes is conducted along the channel by the excited gas particles to form a gas embedded plasma pinch. Depending on the profile of the discharge, the pinch may be stable or collapsing. The pinch emits vacuum ultraviolet radiation which photodissociates molecules of the photolytic laser medium confined by the chamber. The dissociation creates a population inversion, initiating lasing activity. A resonator system reflects the developing laser pulse back and forth through the chamber to stimulate further emissions and facilitate pulse amplification. The developed pulse is transmitted by appropriate means.

Growing community of inventors

La Jolla, CA, United States of America

John F Asmus