The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Feb. 25, 1992
Filed:
Jun. 28, 1991
Prem Nath, Rochester Hills, MI (US);
Jon Call, Royal Oak, MI (US);
Gary M Didio, Highland, MI (US);
Kevin Hoffman, Sterling Heights, MI (US);
United Solar Systems Corporation, Troy, MI (US);
Abstract
An improved gas gate (34) is adapted to operatively interconnect to adjacent chambers in which process gases are introduced for depositing a first layer (16) upon a substrate (11) in a first chamber (28) and different process gases are introduced for depositing a second layer (18) in the second chamber (30) in continuous low pressure glow dicharge deposition process. A plurality of electrodes (60) and grounded shields (62) are positioned in the isolation passageway (92) of gas gate (34). The electrodes (60) have a potential sufficient to create a plasma from any gas molecule escaping from one of the deposition chambers. After the plasma is formed it is attracted to and captured or plated on the shield (62) preventing the gas plasma from landing on the substrate material (11) or passing through the gas gate. The present invention reduces the back diffusion of gases through the gas gate by actively eliminating free gas molecules by ionizing them to form a plasma and capturing the plasma ions in a permanent fashion.