Nordson Corporation

March Instruments, Inc.

Louis A Rigali

David Eugene Hoffman

Keda Wang

William F Smith, Iii

David E Hoffman

A method for the plasma treatment of parts. The method includes sending loading signals from an electronic control to a transfer mechanism and loading the parts from a position outside of the treatment chamber to a plurality of treatment positions within the treatment chamber based on the loading signals. A plasma is generated within the treatment chamber to treat the parts. After treatment, unloading signals are sent from the electronic control to the transfer mechanism and the parts are unloaded from the treatment chamber based on the unloading signals. Each of the parts may be guided to a corresponding one of the treatment positions during loading.

High throughput plasma treatment system

A system for the plasma treatment of parts. The system includes a chamber base sealingly engageable with a reaction chamber to form a treatment chamber and a lifting device operable to lift the reaction chamber from the chamber base. A transfer mechanism is operable to transfer parts along a guide to multiple treatment positions within the treatment chamber when the reaction chamber is disengaged from the chamber base. An electronic control system controls the transfer mechanism for transferring the plurality of parts to the treatment positions. The parts are treated with a plasma produced within the treatment chamber by a plasma-generating device.

A plasma treatment system (,) is provided having an automated, in-line processing ability. The preferred embodiment is directed toward plasma treatment of PC boards (,) but is generally applicable to any substrate susceptible of plasma reaction. The plasma treatment system (,) has the primary components of a reaction chamber (,) and chamber base (,), a chamber lifting assembly (,), a conveyor input assembly (,), a push mechanism (,) and associated linear drive assembly (,), an output assembly (,), an electronic control system (,), and a vacuum and plasma generating system (,). Each of the conveyor input assembly (,), reaction chamber (,), and output assembly (,) include pairs of guide rails (,and,, respectively) which are capable of being juxtaposably aligned relative to one another and upon which the PC boards (,) may guideably and sideably travel. The push mechanism,effectuates both movement and positioning of the PC boards (,) along the guide rails (,and,). To allow placement of the PC boards (,) within the reaction chamber (,) and upon the chamber guide rails (,), the reaction chamber (,) is capable of vertical movement via the chamber lifting assembly (,), the reaction chamber (,) being open-bottomed and vacuum-tightly fittable upon the chamber base (,). Plasma treatment is initiated using conventional plasma generating elements. The push mechanism (,) and guide rail (,, and,) arrangement provide that multiple PC boards may be properly positioned for simultaneous processing in an in-line fashion. Applied DC biasing (,) is used to increase etch rates and plasma flow directionality. An alternative embodiment (,) incorporates a multi-level guide rail arrangement together with vertically raiseable input and output carriers (,and,) to provide that two or more levels of PC boards (,) may be simultaneously treated by plasma reaction. A third embodiment includes supplies for applying Radio Frequency (RF) power (,) and DC bias power (,) to the gas plasma. By using vertical electrodes (,), the plasma can be made to flow horizontally between the layers of a multilevel array or magazine (,) that holds parts that are to be treated.

High Throughput plasma treatment system

Methods and apparatus for plasma treatment of workpieces in which the apparatus includes a reaction chamber having a door through which a magazine loaded with workpieces and an empty magazine can be manually or robotically placed on a shelf in the reaction chamber, and associated apparatus for striking and maintaining a plasma in the reaction chamber, the shelf being provided with stops for maintaining both magazines in alignment so that the workpieces can be pushed out of the loaded magazine, across a gap between the magazines, and into the empty magazine while plasma exists in the gap, and pushing apparatus for pushing workpieces from the loaded magazine, across the gap, and into the empty magazine, and the method of plasma treatment carried out by this apparatus. In one version the pushing apparatus pushes all of the workpieces from magazine to magazine at once. In another version, a subplurality of the workpieces in the loaded magazine is pushed across the gap and into the empty magazine at one time.

Growing community of inventors

Martinez, CA, United States of America

Louis A Rigali