A system for plasma ignition and maintenance of an atmospheric pressure plasma. The system has a variable frequency alternating current (AC) power source, a transformer, a cable connected to a secondary winding of the transformer, a programmed microprocessor for control of power to the atmospheric pressure plasma. The microprocessor is configured to a) at pre-ignition, power the AC power source at an operational frequency f.sub.op higher than the resonant frequency f.sub.r, b) decrease the operational frequency f.sub.op of the AC power source until there is plasma ignition, and c) after the plasma ignition, further decrease the operational frequency f.sub.op of the AC power source to a frequency lower than the resonant frequency f.sub.r.

A method of detecting plasma asymmetry in a radio frequency plasma processing system, the method including providing a radio frequency power to a reaction chamber having an approximate chamber symmetry axis and receiving from a plurality of broadband electromagnetic sensors a radio frequency signal. The method also including processing the radio frequency signals using Fourier analysis and determining based on the Fourier analysis of the radio frequency signals that a plasma asymmetry has occurred within the reaction chamber.

A plasma process monitoring device capable of monitoring plasma light distributed in a certain area in a chamber includes a selection area light transmitter and a monitor. The selection area light transmitter is disposed to face a viewport formed in a chamber and includes a plurality of selective light blockers for selectively blocking plasma light emitted through the viewport. The monitor receives plasma light transmitted through at least one of a plurality of selective light blockers to acquire information on the plasma light, and monitors the uniformity of plasma generated in the chamber based on the information on the plasma light.

A measurement part controls power supplied to a heater such that a temperature of the heater becomes constant by using a heater controller, and measures the supplied power in an unignited state in which plasma is not ignited and a transient state in which the power supplied to the heater decreases after plasma is ignited. A parameter calculator performs fitting on a calculation model, which includes a heat input amount from the plasma as a parameter, for calculating the power supplied in the transient state by using the power supplied in the unignited state and the transient state and measured by the measurement part, and calculates the heat input amount. An output part configured to output information based on the heat input amount calculated by the parameter calculator.

An RF plasma generator configured to ignite and maintain a plasma from one or more processing gases is disclosed. A switch mode power supply is configured to convert a DC voltage from a DC power source to an RF voltage. A resonance circuit is configured to deliver an amount of power to an ignited plasma from the switch mode power supply. A plasma controller is configured to operate the power supply to apply an RF voltage corresponding to the amount of power to the one or more processing gases through the resonance circuit. The RF voltage increases in amplitude and decreases in frequency until the one or more processing gasses are ignited into a plasma. Responsive to detecting ignition of the plasma, the plasma controller is further configured to continuously adjust the frequency of the switch mode power supply to deliver the amount of power to the ignited plasma. The amount of power is a substantially constant amount of power.

The present disclosure relates to plasma generation systems particularly applicable to systems which utilize plasma for semiconductor processing. A plasma generation system consistent with the present disclosure includes an arc suppression device coupled to the RF generator. The arc device includes switches that engage upon a triggering signal. In addition, the arc device includes a power dissipater to be engaged by the set of switches to dissipate both stored and delivered energy when the set of switches engage. The arc suppression device also includes an impedance transformer coupled to the power dissipater to perform an impedance transformation that, when the switches are engaged in conjunction with the power dissipater, reduces the reflection coefficient at the input of the device. The plasma generation system further includes a matching network coupled to the radio frequency generator and a plasma chamber coupled to the matching network.

A simple and environment-friendly production equipment for carbon nano-materials includes a power source and an AC/DC rectifier. A vacuum device for producing the carbon nano-materials is connected with two output ends of the AC/DC rectifier. An alternate current is generated by the power source and then is rectified into a direct-current power supply through the AC/DC rectifier to provide a power supply for a first graphite rod and a second graphite rod in the same direction, so as to generate a high-voltage electric arc at a junction of the first graphite rod and the second graphite rod, and plasma ionization is conducted on substances on the two graphite rods through the high-voltage electric arc, so that carbon atoms in the two graphite rods are decomposed, and carbon nano-materials are separated out and collected into a collector through a cover.

A deposition apparatus, which forms a film on a substrate, includes a rotation unit configured to rotate a target about a rotating axis; a striker configured to generate an arc discharge; a driving unit configured to drive the striker so as to make a close state which the striker closes to a side surface around the rotating axis of the target to generate the arc discharge; and a control unit configured to control rotation of the target by the rotation unit so as to change a facing position on the side surface of the target facing the striker in the close state.

Some embodiments relate to a system. The system includes a radio frequency (RF) generator configured to output a RF signal. A transmission line is coupled to the RF generator. A plasma chamber is coupled to RF generator via the transmission line, wherein the plasma chamber is configured to generate a plasma based on the RF signal. A micro-arc detecting element is configured to determine whether a micro-arc has occurred in the plasma chamber based on the RF signal.

A microwave generator system for use in a microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapour deposition (MPECVD) system, the microwave generator system comprising: a microwave generator unit configured to produce microwaves at an operating power output suitable for fabricating synthetic diamond material via a chemical vapour deposition process; a fault detection system configured to detect a fault in the microwave generator unit which results in a reduction in the operating power output or a change in frequency; and a re-start system configured to restart the microwave generator unit in response to a fault being detected and recover the operating power output or frequency in a time period of less than 10 seconds after the fault in the microwave generator unit which caused the reduction in the operating power output or the change in frequency.