Patent ID: 8372238

Claim:
An apparatus for treating products with plasma generated from a source gas, the apparatus comprising: a vacuum chamber including an evacuable space, a pump port communicating with said evacuable space, and at least one injection port configured for introducing the source gas into said evacuable space; a plurality of electrodes in the evacuable space, each electrode including opposite first and second surfaces connected by an outer perimeter, said plurality of electrodes having a juxtaposed arrangement to define a plurality of process chambers therebetween in the evacuable space, and each of said electrodes including a channel extending from said outer perimeter into said electrode between said first and second surfaces of said electrode and a tubular sleeve comprised of an electrical insulator in the channel; a plasma excitation source configured to power the electrodes so as to generate the plasma from the source gas in each of said process chambers; and a plurality of conductive members, each of said conductive members disposed within said channel of a respective one of said electrodes and connected with said respective one of said electrodes at a location inside said outer perimeter to electrically couple the electrode to said plasma excitation source, and each of said conductive members including a first end that projects beyond said tubular sleeve to make electrical contact with one of said electrodes at said location inside said outer perimeter of said electrode.