Garry L. Montierth P.E.
PCT Systems
February 27, 2008 | 12:00 to 01:00 | 521 Cory Hall, Hogan Room
Host: M. Wasilik
Sonic energy is being investigated to enhance processing in a many different technology areas including applications in such diverse fields as: - Chemical Synthesis new methods, green chemistry and catalysis - Electrochemistry analysis, plating, synthesis - Environmental Protection remediation of air, land and water - Food Technology drying, mixing and preservation - Materials Science - Extraction of raw materials from plants - Preparation of nanoparticles - Polymer Science and technology - Microbiology modification of cells and enzyme action - Reactor Design and Scale-Up optimization of effects - Therapeutic Ultrasound cancer treatment and drug delivery and imaging - Semiconductor Processing cleaning and surface modification - MEMS and Solar Cell Fabrication - Combining Technologies with sonic energy for fluid/solid processing - High voltage pulses, light and other forms of radiation - Membranes, liquids/gases, traditional unit operations Often each of these particular applications has a unique set of requirements and materials characteristics which will determine the effectiveness of applying sonic energy to enhance processing performance. For example, some applications such as nanoparticle preparation may require very intense localized high energy cavitation events to cause a specific reaction to take place under ambient atmospheric conditions that normally would require temperatures of several thousand degrees and hundreds of atmospheres of pressure. Other applications such as semiconductor preparation require a mild very uniform processing field to provide damage free cleaning and removal of surface contamination while still other applications such as MEMS fabrication may require the transfer of sonic energy through tortuous paths or through structural elements to enhance localized diffusion, convection and etching within internal passageways and areas within various structures. Thus one form, wave mode or range of frequencies of sonic energy can not be expected to perform equally well in each application. By carefully selecting the appropriate features of the RF generation, transducer assembly and tank/vessel designs that facilitate the application of specific sonic energy types and modes exactly where they are needed one can maximize the effectiveness of the sonic energy for each particular processing need. For example you can design the processing equipment to have one or several of the following capabilities: - transfer sonic energy across/through various substrates and structural members to insure great uniformity within a processing chamber (e.g., processing vessel can become a resonator if desired, or even through tortuous pathways) - choose the amount and type of sonic energy reflected from, absorbed by or transmitted through a substrate - generate multi-vectored (near omni-directional) energy flux either sequentially or simultaneously within a processing chamber to reach into even tortuous pathways - generate frequencies ranging from a few kilohertz to multi-megahertz - introduce single, dual and multiple frequency beams that can be energized simultaneously or sequentially to energize selected fluids or structures - mix sonic waves of multiple frequencies either within the transducer itself, within the processing vessel or directly within the substrate - form or prevent standing waves as well toggle between formation/prevention - reduce hydrodynamic boundary layer thickness by several orders of magnitude - enhance or prevent transient cavitation to change the localized intensity - sweep frequency and phase to enhance both sonic energy far field and near field uniformity - produce stable waveform output with ripple elimination - enhance or retard cavitation events, rectification and de/re gasification by use of designer sonic energy waveforms - provide more uniform energy fields and cross substrate energy transport by using multiple waveforms, modes and incident angles of sonic energy
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