Plasma technology
Surface modification
High energy plasma species can modify the surface of a solid. Ions with energy of 50 keV transfer the impulse to a solid body and cause a lot of stress in the nanolayer of the solid surface. So, the hardness and wear resistance increase significantly. That is why surface modification is necessary for modern high-technology devices such as gyroscopes.
The implantation process |
The implantation of high energy ions in to titanium substrate |
Etching
Etching of a substrate by high energy ions is the main method of producing modern chips for electronics. Have got a computer or mobile phone? It was made by plasma!
right: The substraste is sputtered by high-energy ions
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This microchip was made with the high energy ion beam |
Sputtering of optic glass by focusrd ion beam |
Deposition
Plasma species evaporated from the cathode may be deposited to the substrate surface. So, plasma coating with unique characteristics may be formed. Cutting tools as well as decorative elements made from plastic or glass may be used as substrate. Depending on plasma composition metal or hard ceramic coatings may be obtained. The hardness of ceramic coating is a little less than the hardness of diamond. Therefore it is possible to produce much better tools than conventional hard-alloy ones.
The forming of thin film on the substrate |
Nanostructured TiN-AlN coating |
Plasma tool for nanostructured coatings was designed in our laboratory |
Cutting tools with plasma coating |