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WO-2026093500-A1 - HIGH-FREQUENCY POWER COUPLER FOR A POWER CONVERTER FOR AN INDUSTRIAL PROCESS ASSEMBLY, AND METHOD

WO2026093500A1WO 2026093500 A1WO2026093500 A1WO 2026093500A1WO-2026093500-A1

Abstract

The invention relates to an HF power coupler (1) for coupling a plurality of HF input signals in order to form an HF output signal for outputting HF power to an industrial process assembly (1), preferably a plasma process assembly, gas laser excitation, or heating assembly, the HF power coupler (1) having: a. a plurality of HF inputs (11, 12, 13, 14, 15), b. an HF output (17) having a specified HF output impedance (88), c. an impedance matching line (20), and d. a coupling unit (19) having a specified coupling unit output impedance (81), the coupling unit (19) having: i. a common star point (10), ii. a respective connection for each of the HF inputs, and iii. a respective connecting line (41, 42, 43, 44, 45) extending from each of the connections of the HF inputs to the common star point (10), each connecting line having a connecting line reactance (21), wherein - the impedance matching line (20) is connected to the star point (10) of the coupling unit (19) and extends from the coupling unit (19) to the HF output (17) and has a specified length and a specified impedance between the aforementioned two ends, - the specified length differs from a ʎ/4 length by a differential length (22) - the specified impedance differs from a calculated impedance by a differential impedance (26), and - the differential length (22) and the differential impedance (26) are each based on the reactance resulting from the connecting line reactances.

Inventors

  • Radziszewski, Gregor
  • Gaddikeri, Sudheendra
  • SKAER, Eric
  • ZIEGLER, JOACHIM

Assignees

  • TRUMPF Hüttinger GmbH + Co. KG

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20251031
Priority Date
20241031

Claims (18)

  1. 1. High-frequency power coupler (1) for coupling several RF input signals to a single RF output signal, for supplying RF power to an industrial process arrangement (1), preferably a plasma process arrangement, gas laser excitation or heating arrangement, wherein the RF power coupler (1) comprises: a. several RF inputs (11, 12, 13, 14, 15), b. an RF output (17) with a predetermined RF output impedance (88), c. an impedance matching line (20), d. a coupling unit (19) with a predetermined coupling unit output impedance (81), wherein the coupling unit (19) comprises: i. a common star point (10), ii. one connection each for one of the RF inputs (11, 12, 13, 14, 15), iii. each a connecting line (41 , 42, 43, 44, 45) extending from each of the terminals of the RF inputs (11 , 12, 13, 14, 15) to the common star point (10), wherein the connecting lines (41 , 42, 43, 44, 45) each have a connecting line reactance (21), and • wherein the impedance matching line (20) is connected to the star point (10) of the coupling unit (19) and extends from the coupling unit (19) to the RF output (17) and has a predetermined length and impedance between these two ends, • where the specified length differs from a 1/4 length by a difference length (22), • wherein the specified impedance differs by a differential impedance (26) from a calculated impedance which is calculated from the square root of the product of the input impedance (99) of the high-frequency power coupler (1) resulting from all inputs (11, 12, 13, 14, 15) and the RF output impedance (88), • where the difference length (22) and the difference impedance (26) are each non-zero and depend on the reactance resulting from the connecting line reactances (21).
  2. 2. RF power coupler according to claim 1, wherein the RF power coupler (1) has attenuation, particularly in the area of the impedance matching line (20), and the difference length (22) and the difference impedance (26) also depend on this attenuation.
  3. 3. RF power coupler according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the interconnection line reactances (21) are configured as interconnection line inductances.
  4. 4. RF power coupler according to claim 3, wherein the difference length (22) is greater when the inductance resulting from the connecting line inductances is greater.
  5. 5. RF power coupler according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the differential impedance (26) is larger when the inductance resulting from the connecting line inductances is larger.
  6. 6. RF power coupler according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the difference length (22) is greater when the attenuation is greater.
  7. 7. RF power coupler according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the differential impedance (26) is larger when the attenuation is greater.
  8. 8. RF power coupler according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the inductance resulting from the connecting line inductances (21) is in the range of 1 to 100 nH.
  9. 9. RF power coupler according to any one of the preceding claims 3 to 8, wherein the difference length (22) is in the range of Ä/40 to Ä/9.
  10. 10. RF power coupler according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the differential impedance (26) is in the range of 1 Q to 10 Q.
  11. 11. RF power coupler according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the predetermined impedance is reduced by a differential impedance (26) from the calculated impedance.
  12. 12. RF power coupler according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the RF power coupler (1) is designed for pulsed operation in which a load change of at least 1 kW occurs with a repetition frequency in the range of 1 kHz to 500 kHz.
  13. 13. RF power coupler according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the impedance matching line (20) is arranged planarly on an insulating layer (29).
  14. 14. RF power coupler according to one of the preceding claims, comprising an upper mounting plate (23), a middle mounting plate (25) and a lower mounting plate (27), wherein the middle mounting plate (25) is arranged between the upper and the lower mounting plate.
  15. 15. RF power coupler according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the impedance matching line (20) is arranged between the upper and middle mounting plates and between the lower and middle mounting plates.
  16. 16. RF power coupler according to one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of the mounting plates (23, 25, 27) is designed as a cooling plate with a channel for passing a cooling fluid.
  17. 17. Electrical power converter (4) for an industrial process arrangement (100), preferably a plasma process arrangement, gas laser excitation or heating arrangement, comprising: a. An RF power coupler (1) according to one of the preceding claims, b. Several RF amplifier arrangements (62) designed to be connected to the RF inputs (11, 12, 13, 14, 15) of the RF power coupler (1).
  18. 18. Method for designing the impedance matching line (20) of a high-frequency power coupler (1) according to any one of the preceding claims 1-16, wherein the difference length (22) and the difference impedance (26) are determined in an iterative method with the following method steps: - Difference length determination step in which the difference length (22) is determined as a function of the reactance resulting from the connecting line reactances (21), in particular the inductance resulting from the connecting line inductances; - Differential impedance determination step in which the differential impedance (26) is determined as a function of the impedance change resulting from the difference length (22); - Repeat the difference length determination step and the difference impedance determination step, and repeat these steps until a predetermined value for the fit is reached. ``` ```````````````````````)````)``)`)`)`)`)`)`)`)`)`)`) ``) ``) `= `` - `` - `` - `` - `` - `` - ``` - ```````````````` - Repeat the difference length determination step and the difference impedance determination step, and repeat these steps until a predetermined value for the fit is reached. ` ... - ``` - ``` - ``` - ``` - `` - `` - `` - `` - `` - `` - `` -` - `` -` - `` -`

Description

High-frequency power coupler for a power converter for an industrial process arrangement and method The invention relates to a high-frequency power coupler for coupling multiple RF input signals to a single RF output signal, for supplying RF power to an industrial process arrangement, preferably a plasma process arrangement, gas laser excitation, or heating arrangement. The invention further relates to an electrical power converter for an industrial process arrangement, preferably a plasma process arrangement, gas laser excitation, or heating arrangement, comprising such an RF power coupler. The invention further relates to a method for designing an impedance matching line of such a high-frequency power coupler. In this application, "HF" stands for high frequency. High frequency here refers to a frequency of at least 1 MHz. Preferably, this also refers to a frequency of no more than 100 MHz. Such industrial process setups are often operated at very high power levels. Very high power here refers to an electrical output power of at least 20 kW at an RF output. These applications are also referred to as high-power applications. A plasma process setup, especially for gas laser excitation, particularly for high-frequency RF applications, can be very complex and often has to meet high requirements, for example, regarding performance, efficiency, operational readiness/availability, and space requirements. This also requires, for example, the efficient transmission of high electrical RF power, which may necessitate precise electrical matching or adjustment. Due to space constraints in such industrial processes, it is necessary to save space in the control cabinets to meet all customer requirements. Furthermore, there is a desire to accommodate more RF power converters and RF power couplers in a single cabinet, which leads to volume issues. An overly cramped design often results in insufficient mechanical stability and reduced resistance to electromagnetic interference because shielding is often inadequate and cables are routed too close together. The invention is based on the objective of improving an RF power coupler of the type mentioned above, in particular making it more space-saving and at the same time improving its stability. This problem is solved by an RF power coupler with the features according to claim 1. Further aspects are disclosed in the description and in the dependent claims. In one aspect, an RF power coupler for coupling multiple RF input signals to a single RF output signal, for supplying RF power to an industrial process arrangement, preferably a plasma process arrangement, gas laser excitation, or heating arrangement, is disclosed. The RF power coupler comprises: a. multiple RF inputs, b. an RF output with a predetermined RF output impedance, c. an impedance matching line, d. a coupling unit with a predetermined coupling unit output impedance, wherein the coupling unit comprises: i. a common neutral point, ii. a connection for each of the RF inputs, iii. a connecting line extending from each of the RF input connections to the common neutral point, each connecting line exhibiting a connecting line reactance. The impedance matching line is connected to the star point of the coupling unit and extends from the coupling unit to the RF output, having a predetermined length and impedance between these two ends. This specified impedance is specifically designed to differ from the input and output impedances of the combiner. The specified length differs from an Ä/4 length by a difference length, and the specified impedance differs from a calculated impedance by a difference impedance, which results from the square root of the product of the input impedance of the high-frequency power coupler resulting from all inputs and the RF output impedance. The difference length and the difference impedance are each non-zero and depend on the reactance resulting from the connecting line reactances. In this revelation, "Ä" represents the wavelength of the high frequency. This wavelength depends on the material in which the wave propagates. In the case of an impedance matching line, this could be the material of the insulating layer. The insulating layer is described in more detail below. Instead of "Ä," the degree value "360°" is also frequently used in this context. "Ä/4" then corresponds to "90°." The term "coupling unit output impedance" refers to the impedance that is present at the output of the coupling unit. In the case where the RF inputs all have the same input impedance, e.g. 50 Q, and the connecting lines have no or negligible reactance and no impedance matching of their own, this coupling unit output impedance would be equal to the input impedance of the RF inputs divided by the number of RF inputs. For example, with five RF inputs, each with an input impedance of 50 Q, the coupling unit output impedance would be 10 Q. In the case where the connecting lines from the RF input terminals to the star poi