Ion Systems, Inc.

Illinois Tool Works Inc.

Mks Instruments, Inc.

Nrd LLC

Lawrence Levit

Peter Gefter

Scott J Gehlke

Leslie Wayne Partridge

Martin R Johnson

Jeremy Paul Willden

Jonathan Scott Jensen

Helaman David Pratt Ferguson

John Edgar Menear

Dennis A Leri

John M Glynn, Ii

Alexander Ignatenko

Samuel Tremain Earl

Grigoriy N Vernitskiy

An alpha ion emitter apparatus, including a circuit, a fluid duct including one or more apertures, and a rail electrically connected to the circuit and operatively arranged to hold an alpha ionization material that emits alpha particles, the alpha particles creating alpha ions, wherein the circuit is operatively arranged to apply an output signal to at least one of the fluid duct and the rail.

Ionizer bar

A low maintenance AC gas-flow driven static neutralizer, comprising at least one emitter and at least one reference electrode; a power supply having an output electrically coupled to the emitter(s) and a reference terminal electrically coupled to the reference electrode(s) with the power supply disposed to produce an output waveform that creates ions by corona discharge and to produce an electrical field when this output waveform is applied to the emitter(s); a gas flow source disposed to produce a gas flow across a first region that includes these generated ions and the emitter(s), the gas flow including a flow velocity; and wherein, during a first time duration, the output waveform decreases an electrical force created by the electrical field, enabling the gas flow to carry away from the emitter(s) a contamination particle that may be located within a second region surrounding the emitter(s), and to minimize a likelihood of the contamination particle from accumulating on the emitter(s). The first region may include the second region.

Low maintenance AC gas flow driven static neutralizer and method

An apparatus and method for minimizing contamination buildup on corona emitters that are employed in an ionizer. Contamination buildup control is accomplished with solely electronic means. High voltage is applied to the emitters with waveforms that serve to push contaminants away from the emitter, rather than attracting contaminants toward the emitters. The results are fewer cleaning cycles, more time between cleaning cycles, and more stable ionizer operation.

Prevention of emitter contamination with electronic waveforms

At least one orifice is added to an AC ionizer with nozzles and ionizing electrodes that are used to remove static charge. The orifice is placed in a location where electrostatic forces are weak and where gas ions can be easily extracted from the ionizer. Ionizer effectiveness is enhanced by recovering gas ions that are normally trapped between the nozzles and under a portion of the ionizer from which the nozzles project. Without the orifice properly positioned, the trapped gas ions are lost by recombination or grounding. With the orifice positioned in an area of weak electrostatic forces, more gas ions are available for discharging the charged object. The combined air consumption of nozzles plus at least one orifice is the same or less than nozzles alone would consume for a given discharge time.

Air assist for AC ionizers

A corona discharge static neutralizing device includes a wire electrode retained in tension between spaced ends of a resilient support member that is positioned within a flowing air stream. Another electrode aligned with and spaced from the wire electrode promotes a flowing ion stream, when connected to receive an ionizing difference of potential, that flows in skew orientation relative to the flowing air stream. Multiple wire electrodes are supported in tension on a resilient support member along with another electrode disposed on the support member intermediate the wire electrodes and in substantially the same plane therewith.

Corona discharge static neutralizing apparatus

An enclosure for transporting semiconductor wafers includes a pair of sensors that are responsive to electrostatic fields mounted on conductive grounded plates in facing orientations on opposite sides of a position within the enclosure at which a semiconductor wafer is to be located. Electronic circuitry within the enclosure in communication with the sensors supplies monitoring signals to remote circuitry external to the enclosure that isolates sources of contaminants and provides remote balance and gain adjustments. Calibration of the balance and gain adjustments uses a grounded plate for zero balance reference, and uses a plate of insulating material that is charged to a known potential for referencing gain adjustments to produce related outputs.

Electrostatic charge measurement on semiconductor wafers

Apparatus and method and system for measuring and controlling electrostatic charge on objects such as semiconductor substrates include a cassette having an inner structure with supporting slots and electrically conductive regions, and having isolated conductive outer walls for supporting objects in the slots, and include a charge monitor connected to the conductive regions and the conductive walls for sensing charge applicable to one or more objects carrying static charge positioned within the cassette. Charge neutralization is controlled in response to sensed charge attaining a selected level.

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Alamo, CA, United States of America

Lawrence Levit