Huettinger Elektronik Gmbh & Co. Kg

Trumpf Huttinger Gmbh + Co. Kg

Hüttinger Elektronik Gmbh & Co. Kg

Michael Glück

Erich Pivit

Thomas Kirchmeier

Peter Wiedemuth

Markus Winterhalter

Ekkehard Mann

Moritz Nitschke

Gerd Hintz

Christoph Hofstetter

Christian Fritsch

Christian Thome

Martin Steuber

Hanns-Joachim Knaus

Christoph Gerhardt

Rolf Merte

Alex Miller

Krishna Kishore Nedunuri

Hans-Jürgen Windisch

Ulrich Heller

Daniel Krausse

In one aspect, operating a vacuum plasma process system including a plasma discharge chamber is accomplished by generating a main plasma in the discharge chamber in a first operating state, and generating an auxiliary plasma in the discharge chamber in a second operating state. Generating the main plasma includes generating a main plasma power with a first number of RF power generators, and generating an auxiliary plasma power with a second number of RF power generators, such that the second number is smaller than the first number.

Method for operating a vacuum plasma process system

Workpieces in a vacuum chamber are treated by receiving a mains voltage from a voltage supply network; generating at least one intermediate circuit voltage; generating a first RF signal of a basic frequency, and of a first phase position, from the at least one intermediate circuit voltage; generating a second RF signal of the basic frequency, and of a second phase position, from the at least one intermediate circuit voltage; and coupling the first and the second signal and generating an output signal for the vacuum chamber using a 3 dB coupler.

Vacuum plasma generator

The power output of an RF plasma supply device is controlled by producing at least a first and second RF power signal by means of a respective RF generator, coupling at least two RF power signals into a coupled RF power, and distributing the coupled RF power between a plasma power that is to be supplied to a plasma load and an equalizing power that is to be supplied to an equalizing load. The power output is controlled by adjusting the levels and/or the phase position of the RF power signals in such a manner that, for plasma power in the range between a predefined lower power limit and a predefined nominal power, an insignificant portion of the coupled RF power constitutes the equalizing power and, for plasma power below the predefined lower power limit, a significant portion of the coupled RF power constitutes the equalizing power.

RF plasma supply device

A 3 dB coupler includes at least one first and one second electric conductor that are spaced apart from each other and are capacitively and inductively coupled to each other in a coupling region. The first conductor represents the primary side of a transformer, and the second conductor represents the secondary side of the transformer. The first and second conductors each have a winding number of n&#x3e;1.

3DB coupler

A vacuum plasma generator is used for treating workpieces in a vacuum chamber. The vacuum plasma generator includes a mains connection for connection to a voltage supply network, and at least one mains rectifier. The at least one mains rectifier is connected to at least one first converter that generates at least one intermediate circuit voltage, a first RF signal generator, a second RF signal generator, and at least one 3 dB coupler. The first RF signal generator is connected to at least one intermediate circuit voltage, for generating a first signal of a basic frequency and of a first phase position. The second RF signal generator is connected to at least one intermediate circuit voltage, for generating a second signal of the basic frequency and of a second phase position. The least one 3 dB coupler couples the first and the second signal into an output signal of the generator.

A 90&#xb0; hybrid for splitting or interconnecting radio frequency power includes four gate connections, capacitances and inductances for electric capacitive coupling and magnetic inductive coupling, an arrangement of strip conductors that are disposed approximately parallel to each other and whose ends form gate connections, and whose dimensions and mutual separations are dimensioned to form the electric capacitive and magnetic inductive couplings of the 90&#xb0; hybrid, and a ferrite ring surrounding the strip conductors to increase the inductive coupling.

90&#xb0; hybrid

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Freiburg, Germany

Michael Glück