Ion-Plasma Technology

  • Adjustment of vacuum coating technology for the thermal engineering.
  • Polymers vacuum metallizing
  • Elaboration and testing of plasma thrusters

   Nowadays, plasma-enhanced technologies are recognized as a powerful tool to modify physical, chemical, and mechanical properties of a surface. The main advances of cleaning, etching, modification, and deposition by use of plasma are conditioned by the possibility of treating the surface with high-energy particles at the controlled rate.

   At the moment the activity is on a starting level. By efforts of team the experimental vacuum chamber was assembled allowing PVD coating of internal and external surface of small parts at ultra-high vacuum conditions.

   Magnetron deposition is conducted to treat the surfaces with “mild” plasma which is characterized by low degree of ionization (a few percents of the total particle flux to the treated surface) at the deposition rate of about 0.5 µm/h. This method is favorable not only for metal but also for polymer surfaces, since the excessive ion flux may cause the radiation damage of the surface through overheating or ballistic destruction of the atomic bonds.

  Vacuum arc deposition is also present in our research work. Vacuum arc plasma is fully ionized, and thus is a perfect tool to treat the surface where the elevated temperatures are possible, since the mean deposition rate can be as high as a 10 µm/h. Large variety of wear-proof carbide, nitride, and boride coatings are planned to deposit; at the moment, the facilities are just introduced into the production process.

   Growth of nanostructures is another topic of modern industry, and they are present among our activities, such as 1D and 2D oxide-based and graphene nanostructures.

   Control of ion fluxes. It is known that as properties of thin films, as characteristics of nanostructures grown by plasma, are very sensitive to the ion flux extracted from plasma and deposited to the treated surface. Unfortunately, the intrinsic non-uniformity of ion current distribution extracted from various types of plasma sources, results in decreasing drastically of effectiveness and productivity of the setups of the plasma technologies. The main reason are loss of the generated ion current on the walls of a processing chamber, and absence of effective control to shape the desired distribution of the ion current, and to tailor it to obtain the desired characteristics of the generated surface structure.

   We developed a setup and equipment for plasma-based technology to modify the physical, mechanical properties and morphology of thin films and nanostructures by controlling the ion fluxes via purposefully shaped magnetic field. The main purpose is to enhance the effectiveness of plasma deposition on a large (up to 400 mm in diameter) substrate. Various configurations of magnetic fields are used to control ion fluxes for cleaning, etching, and heating of the substrate, and eventually, to control the properties and morphology of the deposits and nanostructures.

   Thrusters and plasma propulsion. We are involved onto the efforts of different research groups in the field of development of vacuum arc and Hall thrusters for space exploration.

References:

  1. Baranov, I. Levchenko, S. Xu, X. G. Wang, H. P. Zhou, K. Bazaka, “Direct current arc plasma thrusters for space applications: basic physics, design and perspectives”, Reviews of Modern Plasma Physics, accepted (2019).
  2. Bazaka, I. Levchenko, J. W. M. Lim, O. Baranov, C. Corbella, S. Xu, M. Keidar, “MoS2-based nanostructures: synthesis and applications in medicine”, Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, 52 183001 (2019).
  3. M. Santhosh, G. Filipič, E. Tatarova, O. Baranov, H. Kondo, M. Sekine, M. Hori, K. Ostrikov, U. Cvelbar, “Oriented Carbon Nanostructures by Plasma Processing: Recent Advances and Future Challenges”, Micromachines, 9(11) 565 (2018).
  4. Bazaka, O. Baranov, U. Cvelbar, B. Podgornik, Y. Wang, S. Huang, L. Xu, J. W. M. Lim, I. Levchenko and S. Xu, “Oxygen plasmas: a sharp chisel and handy trowel for nanofabrication”, Nanoscale 10 17494 (2018).
  5. Baranov, I Levchenko, S Xu, J W M Lim, U Cvelbar and K Bazaka, “Formation of vertically oriented graphenes: what are the key drivers of growth?”, 2D Materials 5 044002 (2018).
  6. Baranov, I. Levchenko, J. Bell, M. Lim, S. Huang, L. Xu, B. Wang, D. U. B. Aussems, S. Xu and K. Bazaka, “From nanometre to millimetre: A range of capabilities for plasma-enabled surface functionalization and nanostructuring”, Materials Horizons 5, 765-798 (2018).
  7. Levchenko, K. Bazaka, O. Baranov, R. M. Sankaran, A. Nomine, T. Belmonte, and S. Xu, “Lightning under water: Diverse reactive environments and evidence of synergistic effects for material treatment and activation”, Applied Physics Reviews 5, 021103 (2018).
  8. Baranov, S. Xu, K. Ostrikov, B. B. Wang, U. Cvelbar, K. Bazaka, I. Levchenko, “Towards universal plasma-enabled platform for the advanced nanofabrication: plasma physics level approach”, Review of Modern Plasma Physics 2 (4), 1–49 (2018).
  9. B. Wang, X.L. Qu, M.K. Zhu, I. Levchenko, O. Baranov, X.X. Zhong, S. Xud, K. Ostrikov, “Morphological transformations of BNCO nanomaterials: Role of intermediates”, Applied Surface Science, 442, 682–692 (2018).
  10. Baranov, S. Xu, L. Xu, S. Huang, J. W. M. Lim, U. Cvelbar, I. Levchenko, K. Bazaka, “Miniaturized Plasma Sources: Can Technological Solutions Help Electric Micropropulsion?”, IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science 46 (2), 230–238 (2018).
  11. Baranov, U. Cvelbar, K. Bazaka, “Concept of a Magnetically Enhanced Vacuum Arc Thruster With Controlled Distribution of Ion Flux”, IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science, 46 (2), 304–310 (2018).
  12. Baranov, K. Bazaka, H. Kersten, M. Keidar, U. Cvelbar, S. Xu, “Plasma under control: Advanced solutions and perspectives for plasma flux management in material treatment and nanosynthesis”, Applied Physics Reviews 4, 041302 (2017).
  13. Baranov, J. Fang, K. Ostrikov, U. Cvelbar, “TiN deposition and morphology control by scalable plasma-assisted surface treatments”, Materials Chemistry and Physics 188, 143–153 (2017).
  14. Filipic, O. Baranov, M. Mozetic, U. Cvelbar, “Growth dynamics of copper oxide nanowires in plasma at low pressures”, Journal of Applied Physics 117, 043304 (2015).
  15. Filipic, O. Baranov, M. Mozetic, K. Ostrikov, U. Cvelbar, “Uniform surface growth of copper oxide nanowires in radiofrequency plasma discharge and limiting factors”, Physics of plasmas 21, 113506 (2014).
  16. Baranov, J. Fang, M. Keidar, X. Lu, U. Cvelbar, K. Ostrikov, “Effective control of the arc discharge-generated plasma jet by smartly designed magnetic fields”, IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science 42 (10), 2464–2465 (2014).
  17. Baranov, X. Zhong, J. Fang, S. Kumar, S. Xu, U. Cvelbar, D. Mariotti, K. Ostrikov, “Dense plasmas in magnetic traps: generation of focused ion beams with controlled ion-to-neutral flux ratios”, IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science 42 (10), 2518-2519 (2014).
  18. Baranov, J. Fang, A. Rider, S. Kumar, K. Ostrikov, “Effect of ion current density on the properties of vacuum arc-deposited TiN coatings”, IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science 41 (12), 3640–3644 (2013).
  19. Baranov, M. Romanov, J. Fang, U. Cvelbar, K. Ostrikov, “Control of ion density distribution by magnetic traps for plasma electrons”, Journal of Applied Physics 112 (7), 073302 (2012).
  20. Baranov, M. Romanov, S. Kumar, X. Zhong, K.Ostrikov, “Magnetic control of breakdown: Toward energy-efficient hollow-cathode magnetron discharges” Journal of Applied Physics 109 (6), 063304 (2011).
  21. Baranov, M. Romanov, M. Wolter, S. Kumar, X. Zhong, K. Ostrikov, “Low-pressure planar magnetron discharge for surface deposition and nanofabrication” Physics of Plasmas 17, 053509 (2010).
  22. Baranov, M. Romanov, and K. Ostrikov, ”Discharge parameters and dominant electron conductivity mechanism in a low-pressure planar magnetron discharge” Physics of Plasmas 16, 063505 (2009).
  23. Baranov, M. Romanov, and K. Ostrikov, ”Effective control of ion fluxes over large areas by magnetic fields: From narrow beams to highly uniform fluxes” Physics of Plasmas 16, 053505 (2009).
  24. Baranov and M. Romanov, “Process Intensification in Vacuum Arc Deposition Setups” Plasma Processes and Polymers 6 (2), 95 (2009).
  25. Baranov, M. Romanov, “Current Distribution on the Substrate in a Vacuum Arc Deposition Setup” Plasma Processes and Polymers 5, 256 (2008).
  26. Levchenko, M. Romanov, O. Baranov, and M. Keidar, “Ion deposition in a crossed E´B field system with vacuum arc plasma sources” Vacuum 72, 335 (2004).
  27. Levchenko, O. Baranov, “Simulation of island behavior in discontinuous film growth” Vacuum 72, 205 (2003).