Oxygen content dependent etch rate of single polymer microparticles confined in the sheath region of a low pressure radiofrequency argon/oxygen plasma

Abstract

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Charge control of micro-particles in a shielded plasma afterglow

“…The micro-particles, supplied by microParticles GmbH, consisted of a melamine formaldehyde (MF) core and a porous silver coating with a thickness of ∼100 nm to minimize triboelectric charging effects [27]. These particles, with a diameter (4.9 ± 0.2) μm and (supplier provided) particle mass of m p = 9 × 10 −14 kg, were injected using a particle dispenser similar to those used in earlier studies [28,37]. After injection, the particles left the showerhead at its centre through a 5 mm thick and 40 mm wide slit.…”

The charge of micro-particles in a low pressure spatial plasma afterglow

“…The main element of the PPCI setup was a square glass tube filled with argon at 0.9 mbar (the base pressure was 5 × 10 −7 mbar). Monodisperse melamine formaldehyde (MF) particles were injected using a particle dispenser similar to those used in earlier studies 28,29 . These particles were (4.9 ± 0.2) µm in diameter and coated with a layer of silver of several hundred nanometers thickness to minimize triboelectric charging 30 .…”

Mitigating dust particle contamination in an afterglow plasma by controlled lifting with a DC electric field

“…These systematic errors in the size of particles, taken directly from the bottles, can be [86,87] of order 5%. After exposure to argon plasma, even without added oxygen, there can be a further reduction in diameter due to etching [86,88], although this is probably less than a 1% change for our brief plasma exposure of a few minutes.…”