PLASMA APPLICATIONS

Plasma surface treatments allow for almost limitless surface modifications.

Materials can have any size, from nano-sized components to endless sheets in continuous production.
A wide range of materials can be treated with plasma surface technology, including glass, metals, metalloids, rubber and polymers.
Plasma can modify surfaces in various ways, either as a preparation to subsequent surface treatment steps, or the plasma surface modification itself supplies the finishing layer.

Plasma Technology: Cleaning of Surfaces

Plasma disintegrates and evaporates molecules deposited on a surface, the plasma surface is then rendered ultra-clean for subsequent modification steps. Residues of lubricants, grease, biofilms, oxide layers, or even silicones can be stripped from the surface by a plasma cleaning treatment.

Plasma Cleaning

Plasma Surface Technology: Activating of Material Surfaces

Some operations, such as gluing or bonding, cannot be performed without prior activating when an intrinsically inert surface (such as in polyethylene) prevents sufficient adhesion.

Plasma activating generates surface functional groups and radical sites that react with the paint or glue, resulting in increased adhesion. Scratch tests show the superiority of plasma activating as a preparation for coating in comparison to other methods of activation.

Plasma Activation

Plasma Surface Technology: Etching of Surfaces

Plasma etching is the method of choice to convey micro-structures to a surface. Simple etching will result in surface roughness with consistent structures. With the aid of etching masks, sophisticated micro-structures for nanotechnology devices can be created. There are few limitations to the choice of materials: Integrated circuits and micro reactors are just a few examples that can be produced in the same manner by plasma etching.

Plasma Etching

Plasma Coating of Surfaces

By adding a monomer to the gas in the plasma chamber, ultra-thin layers of polymers can be deposited onto the plasma surface of virtually any technical material. Plasma surface coating can generate invisible layers that can render the surface of a hydrophobic material wettable, add a diffusion barrier to a porous material, or change plasma surface properties in many other ways.

Plasma Coating