Process and device for surface-modification by physico-chemical reactions of gases or vapors on surfaces, using highly-charged ions
First Claim
1. In a process for surface modification by physico-chemical reactions, said process comprising the steps of:
- (a) contacting a solid surface having a crystalline or amorphous structure with a reactive, gaseous fluid which is to interact with the surface; and
(b) supplying activating energy to both said fluid and said surface by means of ions or plasmas, in order to trigger reactions between said fluid and said surface,the improvement comprising providing an activating energy in the form of an electronic potential energy of ions having a charge of q≧
2 with a low kinetic energy, or by streams of plasmas, which contain a high proportion of an arithmetically averaged charge state Σ
q·
ƒ
(g)=qm ≧
2, where ƒ
(g) is a fraction of particles in charge state q=0,1,2, . . . , with said low kinetic energy, wherein said low kinetic energy is below about 100·
q eV and determined to meet a condition that said ions are allowed to closely approach atoms of said surface, but not to penetrate said surface.
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Abstract
The invention concerns a process and a device for surface-modification by physico-chemical reactions with the following steps: a) contacting a solid surface having a crystalline or amorphous structure with a reactive, gaseous fluid (gas, gas mixture, vapour or vapour mixture) which is to interact with the surface; (b) supplying activating energy to the contact area between fluid and surface by means of ions or plasmas, in order to trigger reactions between said partners. In order to improve such a process and device, the activating energy is supplied as ions having at least a double charge and low kinetic energy or plasma streams with a sufficient proportion of ions having at least a double charge and low kinetic energy. The kinetic energy imparted to the ions is selected so that it allows the ions to closely approach the surface atoms but no to enter the surface.
109 Citations
20 Claims
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1. In a process for surface modification by physico-chemical reactions, said process comprising the steps of:
-
(a) contacting a solid surface having a crystalline or amorphous structure with a reactive, gaseous fluid which is to interact with the surface; and (b) supplying activating energy to both said fluid and said surface by means of ions or plasmas, in order to trigger reactions between said fluid and said surface, the improvement comprising providing an activating energy in the form of an electronic potential energy of ions having a charge of q≧
2 with a low kinetic energy, or by streams of plasmas, which contain a high proportion of an arithmetically averaged charge state Σ
q·
ƒ
(g)=qm ≧
2, where ƒ
(g) is a fraction of particles in charge state q=0,1,2, . . . , with said low kinetic energy, wherein said low kinetic energy is below about 100·
q eV and determined to meet a condition that said ions are allowed to closely approach atoms of said surface, but not to penetrate said surface. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20)
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18. The process according to claim wherein said fluid homogeneously streams out of a matrix of nozzles on to said surface, and wherein said low kinetic energy ions are injected from a region of vacuum sufficient to impinge said surface and impinge said surface through holes in said matrix of nozzles.
Specification