Method and device for the reduction of contaminants in a plasma reactor, especially contamination by lubricants

Abstract

The subject of the invention is a method and device for reducing contamination in a plasma reactor, especially contamination by lubricants, particularly for plasma processing of materials. The method is based on the fact that the contaminated gas pumped out of at least one reduced pressure vacuum chamber in the form of a plasma lamp (LA.sub.1, LA.sub.2, LA.sub.3) is purified in at least one purifying plasma lamp (LA.sub.01, LA.sub.02, LA.sub.H, LA.sub.E), in which a glow discharge is initiated between the anodes of the purifying plasma lamp (A01, A02) and the cathodes of the purifying plasma lamp (K.sub.01, K.sub.02), favorably particles of lubricants are cracked and partially polymerized, while processed heavy particles of lubricants are collected in a buffer tank (ZB) and then discharged outside the pumping system. The device contains at least one reduced pressure vacuum chamber in the form of a plasma lamp (LA.sub.1, LA.sub.2, LA.sub.3), it is connected to at least one purifying plasma lamp (LA.sub.01, LA.sub.02, LA.sub.H, LA.sub.E) with a buffer tank (ZB) connected to a vacuum pump (PP). The vacuum tube connecting the plasma lamps (LA.sub.1, LA.sub.2, LA.sub.3) with the purifying plasma lamp (LA.sub.01, LA.sub.02, LA.sub.H, LA.sub.E)) is equipped with a dosing valve (V) for the gaseous admixture medium (MD) to plasma lamps (LA.sub.1, LA.sub.2, LA.sub.3), from which radiation (R.sub.1, R.sub.2, R.sub.3) is directed to the processed material (OM).

Claims

1. A method for reducing contamination in a plasma reactor, especially contamination by lubricants, the plasma reactor consisting of a chamber with reduced pressure in the form of a plasma lamp (LA.sub.1, LA.sub.2, LA.sub.3) that generates plasma radiation directed at a material to be processes and connected by a vacuum tube to a vacuum pump (PP), wherein humid air is dosed into the chamber with reduced pressure in the form of a plasma lamp (LA.sub.1, LA.sub.2, LA.sub.3) by a valve (V), then contaminated gas is pumped out from at least one reduced pressure vacuum chamber in the form of a plasma lamp (LA.sub.1, LA.sub.2, LA.sub.3) to at least one purifying plasma lamp (LA.sub.01, LA.sub.02, LA.sub.H, LA.sub.E), then the contaminated gas is subjected to a glow discharge initiated between anodes (A.sub.01, A.sub.02) and cathodes (K.sub.01, K.sub.02) of the purifying plasma lamp (LA.sub.01, LA.sub.02, LA.sub.H, LA.sub.E), wherein particles of lubricants are cracked and partially polymerized, while heavy particles of lubricants are collected in a buffer tank (ZB) and then discharged outside the vacuum pump (PP).

2. A plasma reactor with a device for reducing contaminants, including contamination by lubricants, the plasma reactor comprising a chamber with reduced pressure in the form of a plasma lamp (LA.sub.1, LA.sub.2, LA.sub.3) that generates plasma radiation directed at a material to be processed and connected by a vacuum tube to a vacuum pump (PP) and a dosing valve (V) for dosing humid air to the plasma lamp (LA.sub.1, LA.sub.2, LA.sub.3), wherein between at least one chamber with reduced pressure in the form of the plasma lamp (LA.sub.1, LA.sub.2, LA.sub.3) and the vacuum pump (PP) is located a device for reducing contaminants comprising at least one purifying plasma lamp (LA.sub.01, LA.sub.02, LA.sub.H, LA.sub.E) and a buffer tank (ZB), wherein at least one of the purifying plasma lamp (LA.sub.01, LA.sub.02, LA.sub.H, LA.sub.EJ) is equipped with power supply (ZA).

3. The plasma reactor according to claim 2 wherein at least two of the purifying plasma lamp (LA.sub.01, LA.sub.02, LA.sub.H, LA.sub.E) are connected in series by a vacuum tube.

4. The plasma reactor, according to claim 3 wherein one of the purifying plasma lamp is a purifying H-type electrodeless plasma lamp (LA.sub.H) connected to a radio frequency power generator (RF).

5. The plasma reactor, according to claim 3 wherein one of the purifying plasma lamp is an electrodeless purifying plasma lamp of E-type (LA.sub.E) connected to a radio frequency power generator (RF).

6. The plasma reactor according to claim 2 wherein the first plasma purifying lamp (LA.sub.01) and the second (LA.sub.02) plasma purifying lamp are connected with the power supply (ZA) in parallel.

Description

(1) The subject of the invention is explained in the examples of execution and shown in the figure where

(2) FIG. 1 presents a device reducing contaminants in a plasma reactor with one purifying plasma lamp,

(3) FIG. 2—a device reducing contaminants in a plasma reactor with two purifying plasma lamps,

(4) FIG. 3—a device reducing contaminants in a plasma reactor with one purifying plasma lamp connected in series through a vacuum tube to a purifying H-type electrodeless plasma lamp, and

(5) FIG. 4—a device reducing contaminants in a plasma reactor with one purifying plasma lamp connected in series through a vacuum tube to a purifying E type electrodeless plasma lamp.

EXAMPLE 1

(6) The method for reduction of contamination in a plasma reactor, especially contamination with lubricants, is based on the fact that the vacuum pump PP pumps out the contaminated gas from a chamber with a reduced pressure in the form of the first plasma lamp LA.sub.1, after which the contaminated gas is purified in the first purifying plasma lamp LA.sub.01 connected to the power supply ZA, in which a glow discharge is initiated between the anode of the purifying plasma lamp A.sub.01 and the cathode of the purifying plasma lamp K.sub.01 and particles of lubricants are cracked and partially polymerized, while the processed heavy particles of lubricants are collected in the buffer tank ZB, and later discharged outside the pumping system.

EXAMPLE 2

(7) The method of reducing contamination in a plasma reactor, especially contamination by lubricants, is the same as in the first example with the difference that the contaminated gas pumped out of the three plasma lamps the first LA.sub.1, second LA.sub.2 and third LA.sub.3, is purified in two purifying plasma lamps, the first LA.sub.01 and the second LA.sub.02, connected in series by vacuum tubes, in which the glow discharge is initiated between the anodes of the purifying plasma lamps, the first A.sub.01 and the second A.sub.02, and the purifying cathodes of the plasma lamps, the first K.sub.01 and the second K.sub.02, by means of the power supply ZA, after which the particles of lubricants are cracked in the first purifying plasma lamp LA.sub.01 and then in the second purifying plasma lamp LA.sub.02.

EXAMPLE 3

(8) The device for reducing contaminants in the plasma reactor, especially the contamination by lubricants, is equipped with a PP vacuum pump connected to the ZB buffer tank connected to the plasma discharge lamp LA.sub.01, which is a specific gas purifier and is equipped with the anode of the first purifying plasma lamp A.sub.01 and the cathode of the first purifying plasma lamp K.sub.01. The first purifying plasma lamp LA.sub.01, on the side of the anode of the first purifying plasma lamp A.sub.01, is connected to the dosing valve V, to which the gaseous admixture medium MD, which may be especially humid atmospheric air, is supplied. The first plasma lamp LA.sub.1 is connected to the V dosing valve, the electrodes of which are powered from an independent power source. The first plasma lamp LA.sub.1, generates radiation of the first plasma lamp R.sub.1, which is directed at the material being processed OM. The processed material OM can be a liquid, biological substances or the body of a living organism.

EXAMPLE 4

(9) The device for reducing contaminations in the plasma reactor, especially the contamination by lubricants, is designed as in the third example, except that it has three plasma lamps, the first LA.sub.1, the second LA.sub.2 and the third LA.sub.3, connected to two purifying plasma lamps, the first LA.sub.01 and the second LA.sub.02, where the purifying plasma lamps, the first LA.sub.01 and the second LA.sub.02, are connected by a vacuum tube in series, while the anodes of the purifying plasma lamps of the first A.sub.01 and the second A.sub.02 and the cathodes of the purifying plasma lamps of the first K.sub.01 and the second K.sub.02 are connected in parallel by a power supply ZA. Moreover, the V dosing valve is supplied with the first LA.sub.1, the second LA.sub.2, and the third LA.sub.3 plasma lamps, the electrodes of which are powered from independent power sources. The first LA.sub.1, the second LA.sub.2, and the third LA.sub.3 plasma lamps generate radiation: plasma lamp radiation of the first plasma lamp R.sub.1, the second plasma lamp R.sub.2, and the third plasma lamp R.sub.3, which is directed at the processed material OM. The processed material OM can be a liquid, biological substances or the body of a living organism.

EXAMPLE 5

(10) The device for reducing contaminants in a plasma reactor, especially contamination by lubricants, is designed as in the fourth example, with the difference that the second purifying plasma lamp LA.sub.02 is an electrodeless purifying plasma lamp of H-type LA.sub.H with a dominant coupling using an inductor, which is connected to RF power generator with a frequency of 1-50 MHz and a power of 20 W.

EXAMPLE 6

(11) The device for reducing contaminants in a plasma reactor, especially contamination by lubricants, is designed as in the fourth example, with the difference that the second purifying plasma lamp LA.sub.02 is a purifying electrodeless plasma lamp of E-type LA.sub.E with a dominant coupling of an electric field by means of two rings, which are connected to a RF power generator with a frequency of 1-50 MHz and a power of 20 W.

(12) The operation of the device is as follows: with the use of a vacuum pump PP in the first plasma cleaning lamp LA.sub.01, a dynamic vacuum is obtained, the level of which is smoothed by means of a buffer tank ZB. At this vacuum level of 0.1 to 200 Pa, a glow discharge is induced between the anode of the first purifying plasma lamp A.sub.01 and the cathode of the first purifying plasma lamp K.sub.01, with the anode current being in the range of 10 μA to 50 mA (DC). To increase the purifying efficiency, the first LA.sub.01 plasma purifying lamp, and possibly subsequent lamps, are used. The most important contaminant removed by the use of the first plasma cleaning lamp LA.sub.01 are oil vapors or other micro-particles from the vacuum pump PP. Firstly, the barrier formed by the plasma discharge breaks down (cracks) particles of lubricants and partially polymerizes them. Secondly, due to the unidirectional flow of the discharge current, preferably abnormal, the anode of the first purifying plasma lamp LA.sub.01 sends a stream of ions towards the cathode of the first purifying plasma lamp K.sub.01 and thus an imbalance is created, because the ‘ionic wind’ is also a kind of a pump, which pushes the heavier gas particles back to the buffer tank ZB. Another mechanism explaining the positive effect of the method and device according to the invention is connected with the fact that the speed of heavy individuals in the first plasma purifying lamp LA.sub.01 is increased due to the gas dilution. In valve V, where the gaseous admixture medium MD is dosed, the equilibrium concentration of gas is determined, which is then introduced into the first LA.sub.1, the second LA.sub.2, and the third LA.sub.3 process plasma lamps, and this gas is free of contaminants coming from the vacuum pumping system with the vacuum pump PP and from the buffer tank ZB. From a practical point of view, the sequence of connections of the individual elements of the device shown in FIG. 1 is at the same time an expression of their geometric distribution in relation to the height of the drawing. With the V valve and the inlet of the gaseous medium MD placed at the top of the device, and the buffer tank ZB and the vacuum pump PP placed at the bottom, you can additionally force a favorable enrichment of the gas supplied to the process lamps, the first LA.sub.1, the second LA.sub.2, and the third LA.sub.3, with lightweight components, of which an important role is played by electropositive hydrogen H+ and helium He+, which are recycled after a collision with positive anode spatial charge in the first purifying plasma lamp LA.sub.01, while the components in the form of heavy atomic gases such as Ar, Kr, Ne, as well as heavier molecules N.sub.2, O.sub.2 can be eliminated somehow mechanically as more easily ‘pumpable’ by a vacuum pump PP.

LIST OF MARKINGS ON THE FIGURE

(13) PP—vacuum pump, ZB—buffer tank, LA.sub.01—the first purifying plasma lamp, LA.sub.02—the second purifying plasma lamp, LA.sub.01—anode of the first purifying plasma lamp, A.sub.02—anode of the second purifying plasma lamp, K.sub.01—cathode of the first purifying plasma lamp, K.sub.02—cathode of the second purifying plasma lamp, V—dosing valve, MD—gaseous admixture medium, LA.sub.1—the first plasma lamp, LA.sub.2—the second plasma lamp, LA.sub.3—the third plasma lamp, A.sub.1—anode of the first plasma lamp, A.sub.2—anode of the second plasma lamp, A.sub.3—anode of the third plasma lamp, K.sub.1—cathode of the first plasma lamp, K.sub.2—cathode of the second plasma lamp, K.sub.3—cathode of the third plasma lamp R.sub.1—radiation of the first plasma lamp, R.sub.2—radiation from the second plasma lamp, R.sub.3—radiation of the third plasma lamp, OM—processed material, ZA—power supply, RF—radio frequency power generator, LA.sub.E—electrodeless purifying plasma lamp type E, LA.sub.H—electrodeless purifying plasma lamp type H.