PLASMA TECHNOLOGY

RAJESH VIG Dept. A C S T GURU NANAK DEV UNIVERSITY AMRITSAR

WHAT IS A PLASMA ?

States of Matter Solid, Liquid,

Gas,

Plasma

And plasma technology is based on the concept of the electrons and their movement in the electric field.

WHAT PLASMA CONSISTS OF?

The coupling of electromagnetic power into a process gas volume generates the plasma medium comprising a dynamic mix of ions, electrons, neutrons, photons, free radicals, meta-stable excited species and molecular and polymeric fragments, the system overall being at room temperature. This allows the surface functionalisation of fibers and textiles without affecting their bulk properties.

DefinitionA commonly accepted denition of plasma is: a partially ionized gas composed of highly excited ionic and radical species, as well as photons and electrons

PRINCIPLE OF PLASMA PROCESSINGPlasma technology is a surface-sensitive method that allows selective modification in the nm-range. By introducing energy into a gas, quasi-neutral plasma can be generated consisting of neutral particles, electrically charged particles and highly reactive radicals. If a textile to be functionalized is placed in a reaction chamber with any gas and the plasma is then ignited, the generated particles interact with the surface of the textile. In this way the surface is specifically structured, chemically functionalized or even coated with nm-thin film depending on the type of gas.

PLASMA PARAMETERS:

Primary parameters: Gas type Residence time Secondary parameters: Gas flow Frequency Power Pressure Low pressure: 5.10-2 - 1 mbar Ambient temperature: 30 - 40 C Gasses: O2,N2,Ar,He,CxFy,H2,CH4, Liquid monomers: HMDSO, Frequencys: KHz, MHz, GHz

HOW DEPTH IT ACTS?

All these phenomena are limited to the most external layer of the substrate. Normally, the effects do not involve layers deeper than 10100 nm. However, it must be noticed also that ultraviolet (UV) or vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) radiation (with wavelength