公开(公告)号：US20070095726A1

公开(公告)日：2007-05-03

申请号：US11261113

申请日：2005-10-28

申请人： Tihiro Ohkawa

发明人： Tihiro Ohkawa

IPC分类号： B07C5/00

CPC分类号： B01D43/00

摘要： A device for separating high mass particles (MH) and low mass particles (ML) from each other includes a laser source for vaporizing a solid target material that contains MH and ML. The resultant vapor jet is directed along an axis and an injector directs a gas flow along a path through the vapor jet perpendicular to the axis of the vapor jet. This entrains ML in the gas flow to thereby separate ML from MH. Collectors are respectively positioned on the axis for collecting MH from the vapor jet, and on the path for collecting ML from the gas flow.

摘要翻译： 用于分离高质量颗粒（M H H H）和低质量颗粒（M SUB）的装置彼此包括用于蒸发含有M 2的固体目标材料的激光源， H＆gt;和M＆lt; L＆gt;。 所得到的蒸汽射流沿轴线引导，并且喷射器沿着垂直于蒸气射流轴线的蒸气射流的路径引导气流。 这引起气流中的M L L，从而将M L从M H H分离。 收集器分别位于轴线上，用于从蒸汽射流收集M H H，并且在用于从气流收集M L的路径上。

公开(公告)号：US06726844B2

公开(公告)日：2004-04-27

申请号：US10171480

申请日：2002-06-12

申请人： Tihiro Ohkawa ,  Robert L. Miller

发明人： Tihiro Ohkawa ,  Robert L. Miller

IPC分类号： B03C102

CPC分类号： B01D59/48 ,  C02F2101/006

摘要： An isotope separator includes a cylindrical chamber having first and second ends, and a length “L.” Inside the chamber, an E×B field is applied to produce plasma rotation. The energy in the plasma rotation is chosen to be much higher than the electron temperature which is clamped by radiation. As the plasma then transits the chamber through the length “L”, the electrons cool the thermal temperature of the isotope ions while maintaining the rotation. Under these conditions, the minority and majority isotopes become substantially separated from each other before they exit the chamber. To achieve this result, E×B is determined using mathematically derived expressions and, in compliance with these parameters, the length “L” of the chamber is determined so that the plasma residence time in the chamber, &tgr;1, will be greater than the cooling time, &tgr;2 (&tgr;1>&tgr;2) necessary to affect isotope separation.

摘要翻译： 同位素分离器包括具有第一端和第二端以及长度“L”的圆柱形室。 在室内，应用ExB场产生等离子体旋转。 选择等离子体旋转中的能量远高于被辐射钳住的电子温度。 当等离子体然后通过长度“L”转移室时，电子冷却同位素离子的热温度同时保持旋转。 在这些条件下，少数和多数同位素在离开室之前彼此基本分离。 为了获得这个结果，使用数学派生表达式确定ExB，并且根据这些参数确定室的长度“L”，使得室中的等离子体停留时间τ1将大于冷却时间， tau2（tau1> tau2）是影响同位素分离所必需的。

公开(公告)号：US06398920B1

公开(公告)日：2002-06-04

申请号：US09790357

申请日：2001-02-21

申请人： Tihiro Ohkawa ,  Robert L. Miller ,  Sergei Putvinski ,  Richard L. Freeman

发明人： Tihiro Ohkawa ,  Robert L. Miller ,  Sergei Putvinski ,  Richard L. Freeman

IPC分类号： B01J1908

CPC分类号： H01J49/328

摘要： A filter and a method for separating ions in a partially ionized plasma according to their mass includes a chamber with crossed electric and magnetic fields established therein. A feed, including metal atoms having ionization potentials in a low range, and gas atoms having an ionization potential in a high range, is introduced into the chamber. An electron temperature below the low range is generated to partially ionize the feed by dissociating the metal atoms from the gas atoms, and by ionizing the metal atoms into light and heavy ions according to their mass to charge ratio. The light and heavy ions are then influenced by the crossed electric and magnetic fields to separate the light ions from the heavy ions.

摘要翻译： 根据其质量的用于分离部分电离等离子体中的离子的过滤器和方法包括在其中建立了交叉的电场和磁场的腔室。 将包含电离电位低范围的金属原子和高电离电位的气体原料引入室内。 产生低于低范围的电子温度，通过使金属原子与气体原子分离，并通过根据其质荷比将金属原子离子化成轻质和重离子来使进料部分离子化。 轻离子和重离子然后被交叉的电场和磁场影响，以将轻离子与重离子分离。

公开(公告)号：US06375860B1

公开(公告)日：2002-04-23

申请号：US08401869

申请日：1995-03-10

申请人： Tihiro Ohkawa ,  Stanley I. Tsunoda

发明人： Tihiro Ohkawa ,  Stanley I. Tsunoda

IPC分类号： C23F100

CPC分类号： H01J37/32623 ,  C23C16/4401 ,  H01J37/32697

摘要： The occurrence of internally-formed contaminants or negatively-charged particulates within a plasma is minimized by preventing such from becoming trapped in the plasma. The plasma is formed in a plasma chamber having control electrodes and reference electrodes. The control electrodes are biased with a negative potential. The plasma assumes a potential more positive than the control electrodes. The reference electrodes are then biased to be more positive than the plasma. Hence, negative ions or negatively-charged particulates in the plasma are attracted to the more positive reference electrodes, and thus escape the plasma without being trapped therein, and are not available to serve as nucleation or agglomeration points for contaminants. A pair of Helmholtz coils produce a magnetic field having magnetic field lines that run longitudinally between the control electrodes. The magnitude of the magnetic field is sufficiently strong to confine electron current only along the magnetic field lines, yet sufficiently weak to allow negative ion current and negatively-charged particulates to cross the magnetic field lines. Because the plasma current density is dominated by electron current as opposed to ion current (due to the higher thermal velocity of electrons compared to ions), and because electron current is controlled only through the control electrodes, the plasma is effectively controlled by the potential applied to the control electrodes.

摘要翻译： 通过防止等离子体中的内部形成的污染物或负电荷的微粒的发生被最小化。 等离子体形成在具有控制电极和参考电极的等离子体室中。 控制电极被偏置为负电位。 等离子体具有比控制电极更正的电位。 然后将参考电极偏置成比等离子体更正。 因此，等离子体中的负离子或带负电荷的微粒被吸引到更正的参考电极，并且因此逃离等离子体而不被捕获在其中，并且不能用作污染物的成核或聚集点。 一对亥姆霍兹线圈产生具有在控制电极之间纵向延伸的磁场线的磁场。 磁场的强度足够强以限制电子流仅沿着磁场线，但足够弱以允许负离子电流和带负电荷的微粒穿过磁场线。 因为等离子体电流密度与电子电流相反，与离子电流相反（由于电子与离子相比较高的热速度），并且由于仅通过控制电极控制电子电流，所以等离子体被施加的电位有效地控制 到控制电极。

公开(公告)号：US06322706B1

公开(公告)日：2001-11-27

申请号：US09353689

申请日：1999-07-14

申请人： Tihiro Ohkawa

发明人： Tihiro Ohkawa

IPC分类号： B03C100

CPC分类号： H01J49/328 ,  B03C1/32 ,  G21F9/02 ,  G21F9/30

摘要： A plasma filter for separating particles includes a hollow semi-cylindrical chamber that is enclosed by a wall. At least one plasma source is mounted in the chamber between the longitudinal axis of the chamber and the wall for generating a multi-species plasma containing light mass particles (M1) and heavy mass particles (M2). A magnetic coil is used to generate a magnetic field, Bz, in the chamber that is aligned parallel to the longitudinal axis, and electrodes at each end of the chamber generate an electric field, Er, in the chamber that is oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. These crossed electric and magnetic fields rotate the multi-species plasma on a curved path around the longitudinal axis, and in a plane substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, to separate M1 from M2. Thus, the wall of the chamber acts as a circumferential collector for collecting the heavy mass particles (M2), and a radial collector which is located at an azimuthal angle &bgr; from the plasma source, and which extends radially between the circumferential collector and the longitudinal axis, is used for collecting the light mass particles (M1).

摘要翻译： 用于分离颗粒的等离子体过滤器包括由壁包围的中空半圆柱形室。 至少一个等离子体源安装在腔室的纵向轴线和壁之间，用于产生含有轻质粒子（M1）和重质粒子（M2）的多种等离子体。 电磁线圈用于在腔室中平行于纵向轴线产生磁场Bz，腔室两端的电极在腔室中产生电场，该电场垂直于纵向 轴。 这些交叉的电场和磁场在围绕纵向轴线的弯曲路径上旋转多种类等离子体，并且在基本上垂直于纵向轴线的平面中，使M1与M2分离。 因此，室的壁用作用于收集重质粒子（M2）的圆周收集器，以及位于等离子体源的方位角β处的径向收集器，并且在圆周收集器和纵向 轴用于收集轻质粒子（M1）。

公开(公告)号：US06303007B1

公开(公告)日：2001-10-16

申请号：US09440358

申请日：1999-11-15

申请人： Tihiro Ohkawa

发明人： Tihiro Ohkawa

IPC分类号： H05F306

CPC分类号： H05H1/46

摘要： A plasma injector for creating a plasma discharge includes a hollow, substantially cylindrical-shaped waveguide, and a coaxial dielectric loaded cavity. The waveguide is specifically dimensioned to establish a predetermined cut off wavelength in the waveguide. A microwave power generator is connected with the cavity to generate a resonant microwave in the cavity which will establish a TE mode electrical field in the waveguide. Importantly, the resonant microwave has a wavelength that is below the cut off wavelength in order to prevent a propagation of the microwave through the waveguide. The injector also includes a feed line for introducing a waste material into the waveguide. Specifically, the waste material interacts with the TE mode electrical field in the waveguide to vaporize the waste material and thereby create the plasma discharge.

摘要翻译： 用于产生等离子体放电的等离子体注入器包括中空的基本上圆柱形的波导和同轴电介质加载腔。 波导的特别尺寸用于在波导中建立预定的截止波长。 微波发电机与空腔连接以在腔中产生谐振微波，其将在波导中建立TE模式电场。 重要的是，谐振微波具有低于截止波长的波长，以便防止微波通过波导传播。 喷射器还包括用于将废料引入波导管的进料管线。 具体地，废料与波导管中的TE模式电场相互作用，使废料蒸发，从而产生等离子体放电。

公开(公告)号：US06248240B1

公开(公告)日：2001-06-19

申请号：US09464518

申请日：1999-12-15

申请人： Tihiro Ohkawa

发明人： Tihiro Ohkawa

IPC分类号： B03C100

CPC分类号： B03C1/023 ,  B01D59/48 ,  B03C1/288 ,  H01J49/328 ,  H01J49/38 ,  H01J49/46

摘要： A method for separating charged particles according to their mass requires providing a multi-species plasma in a chamber. The plasma includes both relatively low-mass charged particles (M1) and relatively high-mass charged particles (M2) which are influenced by crossed electric and magnetic fields (E×B) in the chamber. Specifically, the crossed fields (E×B) rotate the particles M1 and M2 in respective orbits that are characteristic of the mass of the particular particle. Inside the chamber, each charged particle has a respective cyclotron frequency (&OHgr;), and the plasma is maintained with a density wherein the collisional frequency (&ngr;) of particles in the chamber relates to the cyclotron frequency such that their ratio is greater than approximately one (&OHgr;/&ngr;≧1). Additionally, a collector is positioned to intercept the particles (M2) in their orbits and to thereby separate the particles (M2) from the particles (M1).

摘要翻译： 根据其质量分离带电粒子的方法需要在室中提供多种类的等离子体。 等离子体包括受室内交叉电场和磁场（ExB）影响的相对低质量的带电粒子（M1）和相对高质量的带电粒子（M2）。 具体地说，交叉场（ExB）使颗粒M1和M2在特定颗粒质量的特征的相应轨道中旋转。 在室内，每个带电粒子具有各自的回旋加速器频率（OMEGA），等离子体保持密度，其中腔室中的颗粒的碰撞频率（＆ngr）与回旋加速器频率相关，使得其比率大于约 一个（OMEGA /＆ngr;> = 1）。 另外，收集器定位成在它们的轨道上拦截颗粒（M2），从而将颗粒（M2）与颗粒（M1）分离。

公开(公告)号：US06203669B1

公开(公告)日：2001-03-20

申请号：US09275699

申请日：1999-03-24

申请人： Tihiro Ohkawa

发明人： Tihiro Ohkawa

IPC分类号： C25B500

CPC分类号： G21F9/305 ,  G21F9/06 ,  G21F9/30

摘要： A method and system for separating radioactive waste containing volatiles, into light ions and heavy ions, includes a loader/transporter for transferring the waste into a high vacuum environment in the chamber of a plasma processor. During this transfer, gases of the volatiles are released from the waste, collected in a holding tank, and subsequently ionized in the chamber. As the volatiles are ionized, the ions are directed by a magnetic field into contact with the waste to vaporize the waste. The waste vapors are then ionized in the plasma processor chamber to create a multi-species plasma which includes electrons, light ions and heavy ions. Within the chamber, the density of the multi-species plasma is established to be above its collision density in order to establish a substantially uniform velocity for all ions in the plasma. A nozzle accelerates the multi-species plasma to generate a fluid stream which is directed from the chamber toward an inertial separator. A magnetic field in the inertial separator effectively blocks electrons in the stream from entering the separator. On the other hand, the inertia of the various ions in the stream carry them into the separator where they are segregated into light ions and heavy ions according to their atomic weights. After segregation, the heavy ions are vitrified for subsequent disposal.

公开(公告)号：US6106683A

公开(公告)日：2000-08-22

申请号：US880778

申请日：1997-06-23

申请人： Tihiro Ohkawa

发明人： Tihiro Ohkawa

IPC分类号： H01J37/32 ,  H01L21/263 ,  H01L21/3105 ,  H01L21/321 ,  C23F1/02 ,  H05H1/46

CPC分类号： H01J37/32082 ,  H01J37/3266 ,  H01L21/2633 ,  H01L21/31053 ,  H01L21/32115 ,  H01J2237/336

摘要： A device and method for polishing the surface of a substrate uses a vessel for holding a plasma in a magnetic field. Further, the magnetic field is selectively oriented in the vessel relative to the substrate surface. An ion accelerator is then activated to accelerate ions from the plasma on a curved path toward the substrate. By controlling the strength of the magnetic field, and the r-f power and frequency needed to accelerate the ions, the accelerated ions are sent on the curved path for collision with the substrate surface. These collisions, which occur at grazing angles in the range of 0.degree.-20.degree., remove atoms from the substrate surface and thereby polish the surface.

摘要翻译： 用于抛光衬底表面的装置和方法使用用于在等离子体中保持磁场的容器。 此外，磁场相对于衬底表面选择性地定向在容器中。 然后激活离子加速剂以将来自等离子体的离子在弯曲路径上加速到衬底。 通过控制磁场的强度和加速离子所需的r-f功率和频率，加速离子在弯曲路径上被发送以与衬底表面碰撞。 这些在0°-20°范围内的掠角发生的碰撞，从基板表面去除原子，从而抛光表面。

公开(公告)号：US6027623A

公开(公告)日：2000-02-22

申请号：US64798

申请日：1998-04-22

申请人： Tihiro Ohkawa

发明人： Tihiro Ohkawa

IPC分类号： G01N27/447 ,  G01N27/26

CPC分类号： G01N27/44773 ,  G01N27/44704

摘要： A device for fractionating macromolecules in a fluid medium includes a plurality of individual obstacles which are arranged on a substrate in rows and columns. An electric field is provided and oriented to move the macromolecules in migration through fluid channels that are established between the columns of obstacles. Each obstacle has mutually symmetrical right and left front walls which are inclined to a respective fluid channel. Consequently, as macromolecules diffuse through the fluid medium from a fluid channel during their migration through the device, the front walls of the obstacles redirect them back into the same fluid channel from which they diffused. As a result, the faster diffusing, smaller macromolecules take longer to migrate through the fluid channels of the device. Eventually, because the diffusion rate of the macromolecules depends on their size, the positions of the macromolecules in the device reflect their respective diffusion rates, and therefore their size.

摘要翻译： 用于在流体介质中分馏大分子的装置包括以行和列布置在基板上的多个单独的障碍物。 提供电场并且定向以通过在障碍物列之间建立的流体通道在移动中移动大分子。 每个障碍物具有相互对称的左右前壁，其倾斜于相应的流体通道。 因此，当大分子迁移通过装置时，大分子从流体介质中扩散通过流体介质，障碍物的前壁将它们重新导向到它们扩散的相同的流体通道。 结果，更快的扩散，较小的大分子需要更长的时间来迁移穿过器件的流体通道。 最终，由于大分子的扩散速率取决于它们的大小，装置中大分子的位置反映了它们各自的扩散速率，因此反映了它们的大小。