VARIABLE LOAD SWITCHABLE IMPEDANCE MATCHING SYSTEM

摘要

The invention matches the variable impedance of a load (230) with the fixed impedance of a radio frequency (RF) power generator (210) to provide maximum transfer. The impedance matching network (220) further allows a RF power generator (210) to vary the frequency of the voltage applied to a load (230), e.g., a plasma chamber as may be utilized in semiconductor or flat panel plasma display manufacturing processes. The impedance matching network (220) further utilizes fixed solid state components to adjust the impedance of the attached load to provide maximum power transfer between the generator and the load. A parallel switched capacitor network (306) is controlled by an electrical switching means (611) such as PIN diodes to turn fixed capacitors (C1, C2, ...CN) on or off. A means for varying the frequency (606) of the applied voltage is used to match the impedance of the load with the impedance of the RF power generator within milliseconds.