"The abolishment of pain in surgery is a chimera. It is absurd to go on seeking it...knife and pain are two words in surgery that must forever be associated in the consciousness of the patient."
Dr. Alfred Velpeau, French surgeon ; 1839
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8115136 | Electrode for a contact start plasma arc torch and contact start plasma arc torch employing such electrodes An electrode for a contact start plasma arc torch includes an elongated electrode body formed of an electrically conductive material. The electrode body is movable relative to the torch. A resilient element is used for passing substantially all of a pilot arc curren... | 02/14/2012 |
| 8089026 | Methods for control of plasma transitions in sputter processing systems using a resonant circuit Methods and apparatus for controlling a plasma used for materials processing feature cooperative action of a resonant circuit and a switch unit coupled to a plasma vessel and a power supply. A sensor for acquiring a signal associated with a state of a plasma in the ... | 01/03/2012 |
| 8044319 | Variable arc gap plasma igniter A variable arc gap plasma igniter element includes electrodes moveable relative to each other. The electrodes are preferably set to define a smaller air gap to initiate a plasma arc and later extended to obtain longer plasma arc. ... | 10/25/2011 |
| 7982159 | Plasma arc ignition using a unipolar pulse A starting circuit for use with a plasma torch is provided including circuitry for initiating a pilot arc using a unipolar voltage impulse. A transformer is selectively coupled to a DC source so that an impulse is introduced using the same DC source used to maintain... | 07/19/2011 |
| 7952048 | Plasma source with discharge inducing bridge and plasma processing system using the same A plasma source with discharge inducing bridges and a plasma processing system using the same. The plasma source may be constructed with a number of discharge inducing bridges, each discharge inducing bridge containing a magnetic core with a primary winding of a tra... | 05/31/2011 |
| 7615720 | Pilot arc circuit for a contact start plasma torch A contact start plasma system is provided that includes a passive pilot arc circuit that decreases the size and cost of the system. The plasma arc system includes a torch body, an electrode having a longitudinally disposed axis and mounted in the body, a nozzle havi... | 11/10/2009 |
| 7569791 | Inductively-driven plasma light source An electromagnetic radiation source includes a toroidal chamber that contains an ionizable medium. The electromagnetic radiation source also includes a magnetic core that surrounds a portion of the toroidal chamber. The electromagnetic radiation source also includes... | 08/04/2009 |
| 7399944 | Method and arrangement for controlling a glow discharge plasma under atmospheric conditions The present invention is directed to a method and arrangement for controlling a glow discharge plasma in a gas or gas mixture under atmospheric conditions, in a plasma discharge space comprising at least two spaced electrodes in which at least one plasma pulse havin... | 07/15/2008 |
| 7372056 | LPP EUV plasma source material target delivery system An EUV light generation system and method is disclosed that may comprise a droplet generator producing plasma source material target droplets traveling toward the vicinity of a plasma source material target irradiation site; a drive laser; a drive laser focusing opt... | 05/13/2008 |
| 7368879 | Pendulum resonant converter and method A resonant switching converter comprising a first pair of series connected switches comprising a high side switch and a low side switch coupled across a DC input voltage, there being a first switched node between the switches; a second pair of series connected switc... | 05/06/2008 |
| 7368741 | Extreme ultraviolet light source The present invention provides a reliable, high-repetition rate, production line compatible high energy photon source. A very hot plasma containing an active material is produced in vacuum chamber. The active material is an atomic element having an emission line wit... | 05/06/2008 |
| 7368876 | Plasma processing apparatus A low-cost plasma processing apparatus which permits reduction of the cost, as well as reduction of the loss of transmitted power. The plasma processing apparatus 1 has an apparatus main body 2 and auxiliary equipment 3. The auxiliary equipment ... | 05/06/2008 |
| 7365349 | EUV light source collector lifetime improvements An apparatus and method for cleaning a plasma source material compound from a plasma produced EUV light source collector optic which may comprise reacting the plasma source material compound with hydrogen to form a hydride of the plasma source material from the plas... | 04/29/2008 |
| 7363876 | Multi-core transformer plasma source A transformer-coupled plasma source using toroidal cores forms a plasma with a high-density of ions along the center axis of the torus. In one embodiment, cores of a plasma generator are stacked in a vertical alignment to enhance the directionality of the plasma and... | 04/29/2008 |
| 7365351 | Systems for protecting internal components of a EUV light source from plasma-generated debris Systems and methods are disclosed for protecting an EUV light source plasma production chamber optical element surface from debris generated by plasma formation. In one aspect of an embodiment of the present invention, a shield is disclosed which comprises at least ... | 04/29/2008 |
| 7361918 | High repetition rate laser produced plasma EUV light source An EUV light source apparatus and method are disclosed, which may comprise a pulsed laser providing laser pulses at a selected pulse repetition rate focused at a desired target ignition site; a target formation system providing discrete targets at a selected interva... | 04/22/2008 |
| 7353771 | Method and apparatus of providing power to ignite and sustain a plasma in a reactive gas generator According to a first aspect, a power supply and a method of providing power for igniting a plasma in a reactive gas generator is provided that includes (i) coupling a series resonant circuit that comprises a resonant inductor and a resonant capacitor between a switc... | 04/08/2008 |
| 7355191 | Systems and methods for cleaning a chamber window of an EUV light source Systems and methods are disclosed for cleaning a chamber window of an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light source. The window may have an inside surface facing a chamber interior and an opposed outside surface and the light source may generate debris by plasma formation.... | 04/08/2008 |
| 7342198 | Method and apparatus for generating an electrical arc A method of generating an electrical arc includes steps of providing a first electrode and a second electrode, determining a dielectric strength of a gap region between the electrodes, determining a desired dielectric strength change based on the determined dielectr... | 03/11/2008 |
| 7335611 | Copper conductor annealing process employing high speed optical annealing with a low temperature-deposited optical absorber layer A method of forming a conductor in a thin film structure on a semiconductor substrate includes forming high aspect ratio openings in a base layer having vertical side walls, depositing a dielectric barrier layer comprising a dielectric compound of a barrier metal on... | 02/26/2008 |
| 7326875 | Method for supplying a plasma torch with a gas, mixed gas, or gas mixture, comprising volumetric flow regulation in combination with pressure regulation; and arrangement for carrying out said method A method of supplying a plasma torch with a gas, mixed gas or gas mixture, in which the volume flow of the gas, mixed gas or gas mixture is controlled, characterised in that the volume flow control is effected in combination with a pressure control of the gas, mixed... | 02/05/2008 |
| 7323703 | EUV light source An apparatus and method is described which may comprise a plasma produced extreme ultraviolet (“EUV”) light source multilayer collector which may comprise a plasma formation chamber; a shell within the plasma formation chamber in the form of a collector shape ha... | 01/29/2008 |
| 7323401 | Semiconductor substrate process using a low temperature deposited carbon-containing hard mask A method of processing a thin film structure on a semiconductor substrate using an optically writable mask includes placing the substrate in a reactor chamber, the substrate having on its surface a target layer to be etched in accordance with a predetermined pattern... | 01/29/2008 |
| 7320734 | Plasma immersion ion implantation system including a plasma source having low dissociation and low minimum plasma voltage A system for processing a workpiece includes a plasma immersion ion implantation reactor with an enclosure having a side wall and a ceiling and defining a chamber, and a workpiece support pedestal within the chamber having a workpiece support surface facing the ceil... | 01/22/2008 |
| 7317171 | Method and apparatus for generating an electric arc A method and apparatus for reducing the gap resistance between two electrodes, such as the electrodes used fusion splicing one optical fiber to another, by injecting negative ions into the gas or gasses that are located between the electrodes. As a result, the volta... | 01/08/2008 |
| 7317196 | LPP EUV light source An apparatus and method is described for effectively and efficiently providing plasma irradiation laser light pulses in an LPP EUV light source which may comprise a laser initial target irradiation pulse generating mechanism irradiating a plasma initiation target wi... | 01/08/2008 |
| 7312148 | Copper barrier reflow process employing high speed optical annealing A method of forming a barrier layer for a thin film structure on a semiconductor substrate includes forming high aspect ratio openings in a base layer having vertical side walls, depositing a dielectric barrier layer comprising a dielectric compound of a barrier met... | 12/25/2007 |
| 7312162 | Low temperature plasma deposition process for carbon layer deposition A method of depositing a carbon layer on a workpiece includes placing the workpiece in a reactor chamber, introducing a carbon-containing process gas into the chamber, generating a reentrant toroidal RF plasma current in a reentrant path that includes a process zone... | 12/25/2007 |
| 7312584 | Plasma-generation power-supply device A plasma-generation power-supply device includes a transformer connected to an alternating-current power-supply, a rectifier connected to the transformer, an inverter connected to the rectifier, a reactor inserted in series in a power line of an ozonizer that is sup... | 12/25/2007 |
| 7309871 | Collector for EUV light source An apparatus/method may comprise, a multi-layer reflecting coating forming an EUV reflective surface which may comprise an inter-diffusion barrier layer which may comprise a carbide selected from the group ZrC and NbC or a boride selected from the group ZrB2 | 12/18/2007 |
| 7303982 | Plasma immersion ion implantation process using an inductively coupled plasma source having low dissociation and low minimum plasma voltage A method for implanting ions in a surface layer of a workpiece includes placing the workpiece on a workpiece support in a chamber with the surface layer being in facing relationship with a ceiling of the chamber, thereby defining a processing zone between the workpi... | 12/04/2007 |
| 7305311 | Arc detection and handling in radio frequency power applications A radio frequency power delivery system comprises an RF power generator, arc detection circuitry, and control logic responsive to the arc detection circuitry. A dynamic boundary is computed about the measured value of a parameter representative of or related to the ... | 12/04/2007 |
| 7294563 | Semiconductor on insulator vertical transistor fabrication and doping process A process for conformally doping through the vertical and horizontal surfaces of a 3-dimensional vertical transistor in a semiconductor-on-insulator structure employs an RF oscillating torroidal plasma current to perform either conformal ion implantation, or conform... | 11/13/2007 |
| 7291853 | Discharge produced plasma EUV light source An DPP EUV source is disclosed which may comprise a debris mitigation apparatus employing a metal halogen gas producing a metal halide from debris exiting the plasma. The EUV source may have a debris shield that may comprise a plurality of curvilinear shield members... | 11/06/2007 |
| 7291360 | Chemical vapor deposition plasma process using plural ion shower grids A chemical vapor deposition process is carried out in a reactor chamber having a set of plural parallel ion shower grids that divide the chamber into an upper ion generation region and a lower process region, each of the ion shower grids having plural orifices in mu... | 11/06/2007 |
| 7291545 | Plasma immersion ion implantation process using a capacitively couple plasma source having low dissociation and low minimum plasma voltage A method of ion implanting a species in a workpiece to a selected ion implantation profile depth includes placing a workpiece having a semiconductor material on an electrostatic chuck in or near a processing region of a plasma reactor chamber and applying a chucking... | 11/06/2007 |
| 7288991 | Power control circuit for accurate control of power amplifier output power According to an exemplary embodiment, an amplification module includes a power control circuit. The amplification module further includes a power amplifier coupled to the power control circuit and configured to draw a supply current and receive a supply voltage from... | 10/30/2007 |
| 7288491 | Plasma immersion ion implantation process One method of performing plasma immersion ion implantation on a workpiece in a plasma reactor chamber includes initially depositing a seasoning film on the interior surfaces of the plasma reactor chamber before the workpiece is introduced, by introducing a seasoning... | 10/30/2007 |
| 7273260 | Electronic breakaway device A breakaway device (10) to detect when a towed vehicle (14) separates from a towing vehicle (16) in order to engage the towed vehicle's brakes broadly comprises a sensor operable to detect when a signal from the towing vehicle (16) is los... | 09/25/2007 |
| 7273997 | Laser processing nozzle coupling A laser processing nozzle coupling assembly for connecting a laser processing nozzle to a laser processing head includes a hollow sleeve, a laser processing nozzle adapted to be removably coupled to the sleeve, and a collar for coupling the nozzle to the sleeve. The... | 09/25/2007 |