Plasma processes

Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology

Plasma processing is nowadays one of the most important tools in thin film and surface treatment technologies, and thus plays a key role in manufacturing of many innovative products. For this reason, applications of plasma in surface technology belong to main research interests of the Fraunhofer IGB. The used plasmas are low temperature, low-to-medium pressure ones, enabling a gentle and controlled surface processing.

This way we are able to etch surfaces, e.g. to clean them, or to graft new chemical functionalities onto the surface. It is also possible to polymerize a thin film onto the surface, providing such functions as as scratch-resistance, dirt-repellency, or corrosion protection. By controlling the gas composition, power and other process parameters, a broad spectrum of chemical, physical and biological surface modifications is attainable.

Fields of research

  • Adhesion improvement by plasma treatment
  • more details
  • Plasma technology for restoring historical papers
  • more details
  • Microplasmas for modifying narrow-lumen structures made of thermolabile materials
  • more details
  • Plasma sterilization for thermolabile materials
  • more details
  • Plasma ultracleaning of metal surfaces
  • more details
  • Glow discharge treatments for the modification of technical textiles
  • more details

Good to know

  • Plasma impact onto surfaces
  • more details
  • Advantages of plasma technologies, and properties of plasma produced films
  • more details
  • Cost-efficiency of plasma processes
  • more details
  • Environmental aspects of plasma technology
  • more details
  • Materials and geometries suitable for plasma treatment
  • more details

 

Projects

  • Innofunk – The barrier effect and enhanced emptying behavior of plastic containers
  • more details
  • Nanodyn: Anti-icing coating
  • more details
  • Improvement of copper adhesion on polyimide films
  • more details
  • WaterPlasma: Water decontamination technology for the removal of recalcitrant xenobiotic compounds based on atmospheric plasma technology
  • more details
  • Switchable biomaterial surfaces: nanostructured anatase-implant surfaces with dynamic anti-fouling properties
  • more details

Services

At the Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB, surfaces are first of all fully characterized with the aim of selectively modifying their properties, and in a second step, they are functionalized using various modification and coating technologies.

  • Process development for the plasma modification of surfaces (powders, fibers, surfaces and shaped bodies)
  • Layer development
  • Scratch protection, abrasion protection layers
  • Production of adhesive or dehesive agents
  • Corrosion protection layers
  • Barrier layers (e.g. impervious to oxygen and water vapor)
  • Functionalization of surfaces
  • Biofunctionalization, chemical functionalization
  • Development of plasma cleaning processes
  • Development of plasma sterilization processes
  • Surface and layer characterization
  • Geometry, morphology, roughness
  • Chemical composition, biological properties
  • Interfacial energy, adhesion
  • Development of processes and plants
  • Upscaling of the laboratory process
  • Consultations, evaluation und feasibility studies to establish plasma methods as a technological alternative
  • Patent and literature research on subjects relating to plasma technology

Equipment

We have at our disposal a series of plants to carry out and further develop various plasma-chemical and -physical processes mainly in the low-pressure and subatmospheric pressure plasmas (0.01 to 300 mbar). If appropriate, we also work with plasma processes at atmospheric pressure. Besides commercially available plants (some of them modified), we have plants of our own design. For special specimen geometries and process requirements, we can build suitable reactors and combine them with existing plant components (process gas, flow and pressure controls, vacuum components, high-frequency generators) to make laboratory or test facility plants.

Brochures, posters

Publications

  • M. Haupt, J. Barz, U. Vohrer, H. Hilgers, Ch. Oehr, Fluorocarbon nano coatings for specific surface functionalization, NanoS 2006, 1, 23.
  • J. Barz, M. Haupt, U. Vohrer, H. Hilgers, Ch. Oehr, Ultrathin carbon-fluorine film processing, Surface & Coatings Technology 2005, 453.
  • M. Haupt, J. Barz, Ch. Oehr, Creation and Recombination of Free Radicals in Fluorocarbon Plasma Polymers: An Electron Spin Resonance Study, Plasma Processes and Polymers 2008, 33.
  • U. Vohrer, Plasma Funktionalisation of Technical Textiles for Biomedical Applications, NanoS 2007, 18.
  • J. Barz, M. Haupt,. K. Pusch, M. Weimer, Ch. Oehr, Influence of Fluorocarbon Plasma Polymer Films on the Growth of Primary Human Fibroblasts, Plasma Process and Polymers 2006, 540.
  • C. Köhler, Th. Frauenheim, Molecular dynamics simulations of CFx (x=2,3) molecules at Si3N4 and SiO2 surfaces, Surf. Sci., 600:453, 2006.
  • J. M. Knaup, C. Köhler, M. Hoffmann, Th. Frauenheim, Ab initio simulation of interface reactions as a foundation of understanding polymorphism, Eur. Phys. J. Special Topics, 149:127, 2007.