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PLASMA CLEANING

Plasma Clean Surfaces

Plasma cleaning should be applied wherever perfect and reliable clean surfaces are needed.

Plasma Cleaning - Functional Principle

Different mechanisms are at work when plasma acts to clean a surface:

  • Oxygen (O2) plasma reacts with molecules deposited on the surface of the workpiece, breaking them down, and turning them into volatile compounds. Oxygen plasma (O2 plasma) is especially effective to clean surfaces from grease and oil. It is also a strong disinfectant.
  • Plasma hydrogen (H2) is a powerful reducing agent. Hydrogen plasma is used to clean metals from oxide films.
  • Unlike oxygen and hydrogen, argon (Ar) is not chemically reactive, but the comparatively heavy argon ions generated in the plasma exercise a micro-sandblast effect where they hit the surface. This will plasma clean and activate it for subsequent production steps. With argon plasma alone or in combination with other gases, even silicones and fibers can be removed from surfaces.

With a Thierry plasma cleaner there are virtually no limitations for materials that can be treated. Polymers (solid or fibers), metals, rubbers, ceramics and glass are equally suitable for plasma cleaning.

Plasma cleaning in a Thierry system is safer, environmentally friendlier, and more effective than traditional wet chemical procedures. No chemical baths equals no hazards, no cross contamination, nothing to dispose of, and last but not least, saves space.

Plasma Cleaning - Users and Uses

Thierry plasma systems are already being used with:

  • Medical technology: Cleaning and sterilizing of implants and stents with plasma
  • Rubber processors: Removal of lubricants prior to gluing or bonding
  • Electronics industry and semiconductor manufacturers: Plasma cleaning is employed to clean and degrease metal surfaces prior to soldering, circuit printing, or coating
  • Automotive technology: Plasma cleaning is applied in numerous steps along the production line, enabling the use of sophisticated material combinations which can only be joined with the aid of plasma procedures.

More Information

Plasma Technology Brochure

Tetra 15
Tetra 15 LF PC | Thierry Corp. Plasma Systems
Tetra 140
Tetra 140 LF PC | Thierry Corp. Plasma Systems
Femto Version 3
Femto Version 3 | Thierry Corp. Plasma Systems
Nano Version 4
Nano Version 4 | Thierry Corp. Plasma Systems

Plasma clean

Plasma clean refers to a pristine surface that has been cleaned using a plasma system. Surfaces cleaned using plasma processing have been cleaned at the atomic level and can be exceedingly pure. Surfaces of this purity are particularly advantageous in medical device and computer component manufacturing applications. A plasma system configured to clean parts is referred to as a plasma cleaner.

Plasma Clean Applications

Plasma clean applications often involve preparing surfaces for subsequent coating. This subsequent coating may be a metal, such as copper plating onto printed circuit boards (PCBs). Another common application is sterilization of medical devices. When a surface is excessively cleaned it can become etched. Plasma etching is another application of a plasma treatment and has a number of other uses. There is a plasma system capable of achieving any plasma treatment need.

Plasma Cleaning

Plasma cleaning works primarily by bombarding the material surface with ions that destroy / dislodge surface impurities. Once liberated from the surface, the impurities are drawn away under vacuum in a low pressure plasma system or ejected into the air when using an atmospheric plasma system. In low pressure plasma cleaning, argon is often used as the process gas. Argon is used in these plasma treatment systems because Argon is relatively large in size and is also inert. The large size allows the Argon ions to act as an atomic scale sand blaster. The inert properties of Argon reduce the potential for chemical reactions.

Plasma Cleaning Systems

Plasma cleaning systems are typically low pressure plasma systems. These low pressure plasma cleaning systems have several advantages over atmospheric plasma systems. First, low pressure plasma systems have the advantage of being able to clean all of the part surfaces simultaneously. Another advantage of vacuum plasma systems is that the dislodged impurities are permanently removed from the surface by the vacuum pump. Finally, low pressure systems can employ a variety of process gasses and uses them at a relatively slow rate.

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