Method and device for surface treatment with a plasma at atmospheric pressure

• Main Authors: GOUDA GAMAL, VILLERMET ALAIN, GHERARDI NICOLAS, MASSINES FRANCOISE, GAT ERIC
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 28.03.2002
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOIDCHEMISTRY; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; CHEMISTRY; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATIONOR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY IONIMPLANTATION OR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; ELECTRIC DISCHARGE TUBES OR DISCHARGE LAMPS; ELECTRIC TECHNIQUES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION INGENERAL; METALLURGY; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; PLASMA TECHNIQUE; PRODUCTION OF ACCELERATED ELECTRICALLY-CHARGED PARTICLES OR OFNEUTRONS; PRODUCTION OR ACCELERATION OF NEUTRAL MOLECULAR OR ATOMICBEAMS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL BY DIFFUSION INTO THESURFACE, BY CHEMICAL CONVERSION OR SUBSTITUTION; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS; TRANSPORTING

This method for surface treatment with a plasma at atmospheric pressure comprises the step of introducing a treatment gas into a treatment reactor (16), in which a surface (14) to be treated is placed between two exciting electrodes (22, 24), and applying a supply voltage to the two electrodes so as to cause the appearance of a discharge (12) in the treatment gas. The supply voltage is an AC voltage whose amplitude and frequency are adapted in order to maintain at least some of the components of the treatment gas in the excited state, and/or the presence of electrons, between two successive half-cycles of the supply voltage.