Patent ID: 6565791
Filing Date: 2003-05-20
Classification: A61L,B29C,B29K,C23C,H01J

Abstract:
A method for treating, in a plasma enhanced process, an inside surface of a plastic bottle (1), said plastic bottle having a substantially cylindrical body, a bottom portion on one end of the body and a shoulder and neck portion with a relatively narrow opening on the other end of the body, the process comprising the steps of simultaneously evacuating the inside of the bottle (1) and an area outside of the bottle, igniting and sustaining a plasma inside the bottle, providing means for feeding a process gas into the bottle (1), and flowing the process gas (G) via the feeding means and through the bottle for a predetermined process time, wherein the means for feeding the process gas into the bottle (1) is selected from the group consisting of a gas feed tube (5), which is positionable in the bottle (1), and a gas feed nozzle, which is positionable in the opening of the bottle, and wherein, following said predetermined process time, simultaneously venting the inside and the outside of the bottle, wherein, for carrying out the process steps, the bottle (1) is positioned substantially coaxially in a substantially cylindrical microwave confinement (3) whereby, for igniting and sustaining the plasma inside the bottle (1), microwaves are coupled to the microwave confinement (3) from one face of the confinement towards which the bottom portion of the bottle (1) is facing and whereby the microwave confinement (3) is excited in a TM mode of resonance.