- Remove organic contaminants by chemical reaction (O2) or physical ablation (Argon plasma)
- Eliminate the use of chemical solvents as well as storage and disposal of solvent waste
- Clean surfaces with microscale porosity or microchannels not suitable for solvent cleaning due to surface tension limitations
- Render most surfaces hydrophilic; decrease water droplet contact angle and increase surface wettability
- Promote adhesion and enhance bonding to other surfaces
- Prepare surface for subsequent processing (e.g. printing, painting, coating, potting)
- Clean surface without affecting the bulk properties of the material
- Can treat a wide variety of materials as well as complex surface geometries; examples include:
- Semiconductor wafers and substrates (Si, Ge)
- Glass slides and substrates
- Optics and optical fibers
- Oxides (quartz, indium tin oxide (ITO), TiO2, Al2O3); mica
- Gold and metal surfaces
- Atomic force microscopy (AFM) cantilever tips
Tell us about your experience with plasma cleaning.
Dave Biering