There is provided a technique that includes: a process chamber in which a substrate is processed; a gas supplier configured to supply a gas into the process chamber; a microwave supplier configured to supply a microwave into the process chamber; and a microwave stirrer configured to stir the microwave by being rotated due to a flow of the gas in the process chamber.

There are provided heating chamber, and reflection angle control device provided on upper wall configuring at least part of walls of heating chamber and configured to control a reflection angle of a microwave to control standing wave distribution in heating chamber. Reflection angle control device controls the reflection angle of the microwave when the microwave radiated from microwave radiation device is not directly absorbed into heating target but is reflected by the wall. Standing wave distribution in heating chamber can thus be controlled to be different from ordinary distribution for improvement in local heating performance.

There are provided heating chamber, and reflection angle control device provided on upper wall configuring at least part of walls of heating chamber and configured to control a reflection angle of a microwave to control standing wave distribution in heating chamber. Reflection angle control device controls the reflection angle of the microwave when the microwave radiated from microwave radiation device is not directly absorbed into heating target but is reflected by the wall. Standing wave distribution in heating chamber can thus be controlled to be different from ordinary distribution for improvement in local heating performance.

A seal for a cavity plate in a microwave oven is described herein. The seal includes a seal body having an outward sealing surface defined around a seal perimeter. The outward sealing surface is configured to seal against inward facing walls of a microwave oven. The seal body also includes an inward sealing surface spaced inward from the outward facing surface. The inward sealing surface is configured to seal against an outer edge of a cavity plate. The seal further includes a plurality of seal supports extending from the seal body on a cavity side of the seal body for maintaining cavity spacing between a bottom microwave oven surface and the seal body.

Method and systems for heating an item in a chamber comprising applying a first electromagnetic wave to an array of variable reflectance elements and corresponding array of variable impedance devices is disclosed. The corresponding array includes first and second variable impedance devices. The method also comprises reflecting, when the first device has a first impedance value, the first wave from the array to the item. The reflecting places a local maximum of energy at a first location on the item. The method also comprises altering an impedance of the first device. The method also comprises applying a second electromagnetic wave, and reflecting the second wave from the array to the item. The reflecting places the local maximum at a second location on the item. Altering the impedance of the first variable impedance device alters a reflectance of a first variable reflectance element in the array of variable reflectance elements.

Method and systems for heating an item in a chamber comprising applying a first electromagnetic wave to an array of variable reflectance elements and corresponding array of variable impedance devices is disclosed. The corresponding array includes first and second variable impedance devices. The method also comprises reflecting, when the first device has a first impedance value, the first wave from the array to the item. The reflecting places a local maximum of energy at a first location on the item. The method also comprises altering an impedance of the first device. The method also comprises applying a second electromagnetic wave, and reflecting the second wave from the array to the item. The reflecting places the local maximum at a second location on the item. Altering the impedance of the first variable impedance device alters a reflectance of a first variable reflectance element in the array of variable reflectance elements.

A microwave mode stirrer apparatus having a stirring member with microwave-transmissive regions is disclosed, along with methods of performing microwave stirring using the microwave mode-stirring apparatus. The microwave-transmissive regions can be in the form of holes or can include microwave-transmissive material. The stirring member can have a variety of configurations, and the microwave-transmissive regions can have a variety of sizes and shapes. A microwave oven that uses the mode stirrer apparatus for drying green ceramic-forming bodies is also disclosed.

In a heating cooker, when an image of an inside of heating compartment (12) is captured by imaging unit (19) before heating, controller (100) determines whether or not the image can be recognized by recognition unit (103). When the image cannot be recognized by recognition unit (103), controller (100) determines that capturing cannot be performed due to existence of a blade portion of stirrer blade (14a) in front of imaging unit (19), and drives motor (15a) by controlling rotation controller (102) thus rotating stirrer blade (14a) by a predetermined angle.

The invention relates to an apparatus for boiling an egg, comprising a device for providing microwave radiation in a confined space, comprising a holder with at least one cavity adapted to the shape of an egg with an eggshell, said cavity provided with a first layer surrounding the eggshell, said first layer: is in heat exchanging contact with the shell of the egg; has a dielectric constant with an imaginary part, , between 20-500 at a temperature between 0 C.-100 C. and at a microwave frequency of 2.45 GHz, andhaving a layer thickness d of 1-6 millimeter and varying less than 30% over the egg, or said holder for holding at least one egg assembly adapted for cooking an egg using microwave radiation.

In a processing reactor having a microwave plasma source, the microwave radiator is mounted on a rotary microwave waveguide coupling for continuous rotation, to form the reactor for processing a workpiece.