Particle beam experiments for the investigation of plasma-surface interactions: application to magnetron sputtering and polymer treatment

TL;DR

This paper introduces a particle beam experiment setup to study plasma-surface interactions, enabling real-time analysis of surface reactions during processes like magnetron sputtering and polymer treatment.

Contribution

It presents a novel beam experiment configuration that allows in-situ, real-time monitoring of heterogeneous reactions relevant to plasma-surface interactions.

Findings

Successful oxidation and nitriding of aluminum demonstrated

Polymer surface modifications achieved with plasma treatment

Real-time monitoring with QCM and FTIR validated

Abstract

A beam experiment is presented to study heterogeneous reactions relevant to plasma-surface interactions. Atom and ion beams are focused onto the sample to expose it to quantified beams of oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, noble gas ions and metal vapor. The heterogeneous surface processes are monitored in-situ and in real time by means of a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Two examples illustrate the capabilities of the particle beam setup: oxidation and nitriding of aluminum as a model of target poisoning during reactive magnetron sputtering, and plasma treatment of polymers (PET, PP).