B06B2201/71

Methods and apparatus for cleaning substrates

The present invention discloses a method for effectively cleaning vias, trenches or recessed areas on a substrate using an ultra/mega sonic device, comprising: applying liquid into a space between a substrate and an ultra/mega sonic device; setting an ultra/mega sonic power supply at frequency f.sub.1 and power P.sub.1 to drive said ultra/mega sonic device; after the ratio of total bubbles volume to volume inside vias, trenches or recessed areas on the substrate increasing to a first set value, setting said ultra/mega sonic power supply at frequency f.sub.2 and power P.sub.2 to drive said ultra/mega sonic device; after the ratio of total bubbles volume to volume inside the vias, trenches or recessed areas reducing to a second set value, setting said ultra/mega sonic power supply at frequency f.sub.1 and power P.sub.1 again; repeating above steps till the substrate being cleaned.

Method for exciting piezoelectric transducers and sound-producing arrangement
11065644 · 2021-07-20 · ·

A method for exciting sound-wave producing transducers (7) which have operating frequencies defining a transducer frequency range, in which a generator (9) produces an electrical excitation signal for the transducers (7), these electrical excitation signal being fed to the transducers (7), wherein the generator (9) carries out frequency sweeps in a frequency sweep range between a minimum frequency (f.sub.min) and a maximum frequency (f.sub.max) with an adjustable sweep rate, with a target frequency (f.sub.Ziel) being defined within said frequency sweep range, this method being characterized in that the minimum frequency (f.sub.min), the maximum frequency (f.sub.max) and the target frequency (f.sub.Ziel) are selected in such a way that a first frequency difference (Δf.sub.1) between the minimum frequency (fmin) and the target frequency (f.sub.Ziel) differs in terms of magnitude from a second frequency difference (Δf.sub.2) between the maximum frequency (f.sub.max) and the target frequency (f.sub.Ziel) within a number of frequency sweeps, and wherein the minimum frequency (f.sub.min) and/or the maximum frequency (f.sub.max) and/or the target frequency (f.sub.Ziel) is/are modified after at least one frequency sweep in such a way that an arithmetic mean of the first frequency differences (Δf.sub.1), formed over all frequency sweeps carried out, and an arithmetic mean of the second frequency differences (Δf.sub.2), formed over all frequency sweeps carried out, are substantially the same in terms of magnitude.

TRANSDUCER FOR NON-INVASIVE MEASUREMENT
20210190571 · 2021-06-24 ·

A transducer for non-invasive measurement includes: a piezoelectric element; a base plate; and driver electronics. The piezoelectric element is mounted to a first face of the base plate. A second face of the base plate is mountable to a wall of a vessel that holds a liquid. The driver electronics drive the piezoelectric element at a plurality of activation frequencies. When the second face of the base plate is mounted to the wall of the vessel, the transducer when activated excites acoustic waves in the base plate and to launch an acoustic wave into the liquid. The transducer is designed such that an angular divergence of the acoustic wave launched into the liquid varies as a function of at least the activation frequency and a dimension of an emitter.

DRIVING DEVICE
20210276043 · 2021-09-09 · ·

A driving device is provided. The driving device includes a boost inductor and a resonance circuit. The boost inductor receives a first power via a first terminal of the boost inductor in a first mode and provides a second power via a second terminal of the boost inductor. The resonance circuit stores a stored electric energy from the second power in the first mode, so that the boost inductor does not provide the second power in the second mode and drives a transducer by the stored electric energy in the first mode and the second mode.

Disinfection of foodstuffs
11013242 · 2021-05-25 · ·

An apparatus for disinfecting products is disclosed herein. The apparatus comprises a tank for holding a liquid for receiving microorganisms from the products. The tank comprises a barrier separating the tank to provide two regions of liquid, the two regions of liquid comprising a first region and a second region, wherein the first region is arranged to provide an open channel for the liquid through the tank to enable a product to be carried into, along, and out of a flowpath through the channel; and the second region holds liquid adjacent to at least one ultrasonic transducer for providing ultrasonic energy to the product via the liquid in the second region and through the barrier.

Sound-pressure analyzer and a method in the high-intensity acoustic field, and an ultrasonic cleaner and an ultrasonic processor

A sound-pressure analyzer in a high-intensity acoustic field that can accurately presume the cavitation-threshold and cavitation-amount being generated comprises: a hydrophone for transferring a voltage-signal corresponding to said sound-pressure in said acoustic field; a frequency-analyzer; and an arithmetic device. The frequency-analyzer analyzes the frequency-component in such an acoustic field based on the voltage-signal being transferred from the hydrophone and then sorts such signal into a basic-frequency component, a harmonic component, a sub-harmonic component and a white-noise component. An arithmetic device conducts arithmetic operations to evaluate the average of broadband sound pressure (ABP) of the white-noise component within a frequency-range having practical sensitivity, thus presuming the presence of the cavitation-threshold and the cavitation-amount being generated at a point wherein the ABP increases from about zero and wherein such cavitation-amount being generated is according to the level of the ABP value.

ULTRASONIC/MEGASONIC CLEANING DEVICE
20200406312 · 2020-12-31 ·

An ultrasonic/megasonic cleaning device includes a cleaning unit including an upper casing and a lower casing connected to form a hollow chamber, an ultrasonic/megasonic generator provided in the hollow chamber, and a bottom quartz component provided with a quartz rod array composed of a plurality of vertically arranged quartz rod-like structures; a spray arm connected to the upper casing; and an ultrasonic/megasonic frequency control unit connected between the at least one signal source and the ultrasonic/megasonic generator, for constantly varying a frequency of the electrical signal output from the at least one signal source and introducing the electrical signal into the ultrasonic/megasonic generator, so as to dynamically vary an oscillation frequency of the ultrasonic/megasonic wave generated by the ultrasonic/megasonic generator; wherein the ultrasonic/megasonic frequency control unit includes a frequency-switching timing control unit configured to trigger am ultrasonic/megasonic frequency switching control unit to switch the oscillation frequency of the ultrasonic/megasonic wave from a first frequency to a second frequency when the ultrasonic/megasonic wave has been generated at the first frequency for a time period, the time period being randomly selected within a time range.

SOUND-PRESSURE ANALYZER AND A METHOD IN THE HIGH-INTENSITY ACOUSTIC FIELD, AND AN ULTRASONIC CLEANER AND AN ULTRASONIC PROCESSOR
20200298288 · 2020-09-24 ·

A sound-pressure analyzer in a high-intensity acoustic field that can accurately presume the cavitation-threshold and cavitation-amount being generated comprises: a hydrophone for transferring a voltage-signal corresponding to said sound-pressure in said acoustic field; a frequency-analyzer; and an arithmetic device. The frequency-analyzer analyzes the frequency-component in such an acoustic field based on the voltage-signal being transferred from the hydrophone and then sorts such signal into a basic-frequency component, a harmonic component, a sub-harmonic component and a white-noise component. An arithmetic device conducts arithmetic operations to evaluate the average of broadband sound pressure (ABP) of the white-noise component within a frequency-range having practical sensitivity, thus presuming the presence of the cavitation-threshold and the cavitation-amount being generated at a point wherein the ABP increases from about zero and wherein such cavitation-amount being generated is according to the level of the ABP value.

ULTRASONIC TREATMENT OF MINED SAND PROPPANT FOR HYDRAULIC FRACTURE TREATMENT IN THE OIL/GAS INDUSTRY AND CLEANED QUARTZ SOURCE FOR THE GLASS INDUSTRY
20200197950 · 2020-06-25 ·

A process for the ultrasonic treatment of mined sand proppant for hydraulic fracture treatment, the process comprising the steps of pumping sand particles in an aqueous fluid to an ultrasonic device operating at a suitable frequency and a suitable power range. The sand particles remain at a proximity to the ultrasonic device for a first predetermined period of time to remove contaminants from the sand particles.

ULTRASONIC TRANSDUCER AND ULTRASONIC CLEANING DEVICE USING ULTRASONIC TRANSDUCER
20200061677 · 2020-02-27 ·

An ultrasonic transducer includes: a piezoelectric element having a plate-like shape and an area expansion vibration mode; and a vibration surface separated from main surfaces thereof and arranged in parallel to the main surfaces so as to be brought into contact with a liquid; a piezoelectric element receiving portion held in contact with a side surface of the piezoelectric element and configured to fix the piezoelectric element; and a vibration transmitting portion; and the vibration member having a space for surrounding the main surface formed by the vibration surface, the piezoelectric element receiving portion, and the vibration transmitting portion, wherein a vibration generated by the piezoelectric element is transmitted to the vibration surface through the piezoelectric element receiving portion and the vibration transmitting portion, and the vibration surface is vibrated in a direction orthogonal to a vibration direction in the area expansion vibration mode.