Impedance-matching circuits for multi-output power supplies driving CO

1. An impedance-matching network for connecting a plurality of radio-frequency power-sources to a load, the network having an input impedance and an output impedance and the load having a load impedance, the network comprising:

a plurality of radio frequency transmission-lines equal in number to the plurality of radio frequency power sources having a source impedance with each transmission-line connected to a corresponding one of each of the power sources with the transmission lines being connected to the load via a first radio frequency combiner;

each transmission-line including a pair of series connected transmission line sections with each section in the pair having an electrical length of about one-twelfth of a wavelength at an operating frequency of the power-sources; and

the series-connection between the transmission-line sections in one transmission line being connected to the series-connection between the transmission-line sections in at least one other transmission-line, said connection including a device having an impedance adjustable within a first predetermined range for matching one of the input and output impedance of the network to respectively one of the source impedance and the load impedance.

2. The impedance matching network of claim 1 , wherein the source impedance has a fixed value, the load impedance has a value within a second predetermined range and the adjustable impedance is adjusted such that the output impedance of the network matches the value of the load impedance.

3. The impedance matching network of claim 1 further comprising:

one or more sensors for monitoring characteristics of the network; and

a logic module for monitoring the output of the one or more sensors and adjusting the impedance of the adjustable impedance device in response thereto.

4. The impedance matching network of claim 3 wherein the one or more sensors monitor the input voltage and current to the network and the output power of the network.

5. The impedance matching network of claim 3 wherein said device for adjusting the impedance is an array of capacitors that are selectively connected in parallel.

6. The impedance matching network of claim 1 , wherein there are two radio frequency sources with phase-difference of 180 degrees between outputs thereof and the adjustable impedance is an adjustable capacitance.

7. The impedance matching network of claim 6 , wherein the first radio frequency combiner is a balanced-to-unbalanced transformer.

8. The impedance matching network of claim 1 , wherein the load impedance has a fixed value, the source impedance has a value within a second predetermined range and the adjustable impedance is adjusted such that the input impedance of the network matches the value of the source impedance.

9. The impedance matching network of claim 8 , wherein there is zero phase-difference between outputs of the plurality of radio frequency sources, and the adjustable impedance device includes a second radio frequency combiner arranged to connect together at a common node the series connections between twelfth-wave transmission line pairs in the plurality thereof with the common node shunted to ground via an adjustable reactance.

10. The impedance matching network of claim 9 , wherein there are three radio frequency power sources having about the same output power and three transmission lines, the second radio frequency combiner is a zero-degree three-way combiner formed by a first, second and third sections of transmission line each having an electrical length of about one-twentieth of a wavelength at the operating frequency of the radio frequency sources and the variable reactance is a variable capacitance.

11. The impedance matching network of claim 10 , wherein the first radio frequency combiner includes first, second, and third transmission line sections each having an electrical length of about one-half wavelength at the operating frequency of the radio frequency sources, the first half-wave transmission line section being connected in series with a the twelfth wave transmission line section pair in a first of the three transmission lines, the second half-wave transmission line section being connected in series with the twelfth wave transmission line section pair in a second of the three transmission lines, with the first, second, and third half-wave transmission line sections being connected at a common node and the common node being connected to the load.

12. The impedance matching network of claim 9 , wherein there are two radio frequency power sources having different output power and two transmission lines, one of the two transmission lines having a first transmission line section having an electrical length of one-quarter wavelength at the operating frequency of the radio frequency sources connected between the twelfth-wave transmission line section pair and a first of the two radio frequency sources and the other of the two transmission lines having a second transmission line section having an electrical length of one-quarter wavelength at the operating frequency of the radio frequency sources connected between the twelfth-wave transmission line section pair and the first radio frequency combiner, and wherein the second radio frequency combiner is a zero-degree two-way combiner formed by a first single section of transmission line having an electrical length of about one-twentieth of a wavelength at the operating frequency of the radio frequency sources and the variable reactance includes an inductor in parallel with a variable capacitance.

13. The impedance matching network of claim 12 , wherein the first radio frequency combiner is a zero-degree two-way combiner formed by a second single section of transmission line having an electrical length of about one-twentieth of a wavelength at the operating frequency of the radio frequency source.

14. The impedance matching network of claim 9 , wherein there are two radio frequency power sources having about the same output power and two transmission lines, the second radio frequency combiner is a zero-degree two-way combiner formed by a first single section of transmission line having an electrical length of about one-twentieth of a wavelength at the operating frequency of the radio frequency sources and the variable reactance is a variable capacitance.

15. The impedance matching circuit of claim 14 , wherein the first radio frequency combiner is a zero-degree two-way combiner formed by a second single section of transmission line having an electrical length of about one-twentieth of a wavelength at the operating frequency of the radio frequency sources.

16. The impedance matching network of claim 14 , wherein the first radio frequency combiner includes first and second transmission line sections each having an electrical length of about one-half wavelength at the operating frequency of the radio frequency sources, the first half-wave transmission line section being connected in series with the twelfth wave transmission line section pair in one of the transmission lines and the second half-wave transmission line section being connected in series with the twelfth wave transmission line section pair in other of the transmission lines, with the first and second half-wave transmission line sections being connected at a common node and the common node being connected to the load.

17. A method of operating an impedance-matching network for connecting a plurality of radio-frequency power-sources to a load, the network having an input impedance and an output impedance and the load having a load impedance, wherein the network includes a plurality of radio frequency transmission-lines equal in number to the plurality of radio frequency power sources having a source impedance with each transmission-line connected to a corresponding one of each of the power sources with the transmission lines being connected to the load via a first radio frequency combiner and wherein each transmission-line includes a pair of series connected transmission line sections with each section in the pair having an electrical length of about one-twelfth of a wavelength at an operating frequency of the power-sources, said method comprising the steps of:

providing an adjustable impedance bridging the series-connection between the transmission-line sections in one transmission line and the series-connection between the transmission-line sections in at least one other transmission-line; and

adjusting the impedance to match the source impedance to the load impedance.

18. The method of claim 17 further including the steps of:

monitoring the input voltage and current to the network and the output power of the network; and

adjusting the impedance in response to the monitored values.