Patent ID: 8035057

Claim:
A microwave plasma nozzle for generating plasma from microwaves provided via a microwave cavity and a gas, comprising: a gas flow tube for having a gas flow therethrough, said gas flow tube having an outlet portion whereat gas of said gas flow is discharged, and said outlet portion including a material that is substantially transparent to microwaves; and a rod-shaped conductor disposed in said gas flow tube, said rod-shaped conductor having opposite ends, said opposite ends being a first end and a second end, said rod-shaped conductor being configured for disposition of the second end in the microwave cavity, and said rod-shaped conductor being configured so as to receive microwaves at the second end and transmit the received microwaves along a surface of the rod-shaped conductor to the first end, the first end being arranged so as to focus and discharge said microwaves at the first end to effect plasma generation at the first end, and said first end being disposed proximate to said outlet portion of said gas flow tube so as to be a closest one of said opposite ends to said outlet portion.