Gte Laboratories Incorporated

Richard C Assmus

Elizabeth A Trickett

Charles Brecher

Jonathan S Brecher

An inductively coupled RF plasma generator and method. The plasma generator includes a body having a conduit having a gas inlet and an outlet. Induction structure surrounding the conduit inductively excites the gas, generating a plasma which leaves the conduit outlet as a tail flame. An electrically insulating chimney is positioned at the outlet so that the chimney surrounds the tail flame and no electrical path to ground exists between the outlet and the chimney means. A grounded electrode is positioned downstream of the plasma and sufficiently near the outlet to provide an electrical path to ground from the tail flame shorter than other available paths to ground. The method for generating a plasma utilizing the inductively coupled RF plasma generator involves inductively exciting the gas to generate a plasma which leaves the outlet as a tail flame. The tail flame is surrounded by a chimney so that no path to ground exists between the outlet and the chimney. A preferred path to ground is provided by an electrode which attracts the tail flame, preventing unwanted arcing and increasing the efficiency of the torch.

Inductively-coupled RF plasma torch

A method of preparing ceramic monolithic structures with an internal cavity and passageways is described. A thin sheet of a ceramic material is formed by spreading the material on a glass plate with a doctor blade. Individual sheets of the material are cut or punched to form predetermined holes, channels or various shapes therein. These individual sheets are then stacked to form a layered structure. A supporting media such as paraffin wax is injected into the holes and channels to completely fill them with the media. The layered structure is then pressed by unipressing and/or isostatic pressing followed by a prefiring step to remove the supporting media. Once the supporting media had been completely removed, the layered structure is then sintered to form a monolithic structure containing precise predetermined internal cavity and passageways.

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Braintree, MA, United States of America

Richard C Assmus