Patent ID: 7754994
Filing Date: 2010-07-13
Classification: B08B,H01J,H01L,H05H

Abstract:
1. A cleaning device using a non-thermal atmospheric gas discharge plasma, comprising: a power source having an alternating current voltage of greater than 10 kV and a frequency of greater than 1 kHz; a gas input buffer cavity; a generally cylindrical gas whirlpool cavity, said gas whirlpool cavity being located inside said gas input buffer cavity such that the gas input buffer cavity is generally annular in shape, said gas whirlpool cavity comprising at least two symmetrical gas pin-hole inputs connected with the input buffer cavity and arranged tangentially so as to accelerate a circular whirlpool working gas flow within the whirlpool cavity; a first electrode, said first electrode being located at an end of the gas whirlpool cavity, said first electrode being electrically coupled with said high-voltage power source, said first electrode being covered with a first insulation layer on a surface of said first electrode, such that said first electrode is not exposed to said whirlpool cavity; a second electrode, said second electrode being located at another end of the gas whirlpool cavity such that the gas whirlpool cavity is interposed between the first and second electrodes, said second electrode being corresponding to said first electrode, said second electrode being a grounding electrode, said second electrode having a hollow cylindrical passage located at center of said second electrode, said second electrode being covered with a second insulation layer on a surface of said second electrode, such that said second electrode is not exposed to said whirlpool cavity; an insulating separator layer, said insulating separator layer being disposed between said first electrode and said second electrode so as to define a discharging space such that the insulating separator layer, the first insulation layer, and the second insulation together define the gas whirlpool cavity; and a magnetic field generator, said magnetic field generator being disposed on a side of said first electrode, said magnetic field generator corresponding to said first insulation layer, wherein the magnetic field generator is arranged above a center of the whirlpool cavity so as to form symmetric axial magnetic field lines to guide and control a flow direction of an ionized gas and to accelerate a speed of a non-thermal plasma spray out of the hollow passage, wherein the cleaning device initiates a high voltage plasma breakdown of the working gas at atmospheric pressure and cleans a series of workpieces laterally conveyed beneath a mouth of the hollow cylindrical passage with the non-thermal plasma spray, wherein said hollow cylindrical passage has a diameter between 0.5 cm and 1.5 cm; and wherein a mouth of said nozzle has a diameter between 0.3 cm and 0.8 cm.