A Novel Structure of Slot-Antenna Array for Producing Large-Area Planar Surface-Wave Plasmas

The principle of surface wave plasma discharge in a rectangular cavity is introduced and the distribution of the electromagnetic field within a rectangular waveguide is analysed. A novel structure of a slot antenna array is presented. In comparison with the traditional slotantenna, it is shown that the designed slot antenna array can excite effectively the surface wave coupling into the chamber, and generate a stable large-area high-density plasma. These results are useful for exploring the optimized design of the slot-antenna for surface wave plasmas.     

无标记免疫分析——表面等离子体共振检测方法研究

利用表面等离子体共振生物传感器对磺胺嘧啶及磺胺二甲嘧啶进行快速无标记检测研究,优化反应条件。抗原固定缓冲液pH为4.2~4.8;抗体浓度为1∶100～1∶200倍稀释;再生液为0.1mol/LH₃PO₄溶液,再生时间为1.5min。研究建立了标准曲线,并对芯片的稳定性进行了考察。     

Plasma Limiter Based on Surface Wave Plasma Excited by Microwave

A novel plasma limiter, in which the plasma is excited by surface wave, is presented. The breakdown time of some gases filled in the limiter were calculated as a function of gas pres- sure, ionization degree and density of seed electrons under low pressure （0.01 -1 Torr） and high pressure （10 -1000 Torr） cases. The results show that the limiter filled with Xe with a pressure of 0.9 Torr, seed electron density of 10^16 m^-3, and ionization degree of 10^-4, has a breakdown time of approximate 19.6 ns.     

Surface plasmon oscillations in a semi-bounded semiconductor plasma

We study the dispersion properties of surface plasmon (SP) oscillations in a semi-bounded semiconductor plasma with the effects of the Coulomb exchange (CE) force associated with the spin polarization of electrons and holes as well as the effects of the Fermi degenerate pressure and the quantum Bohm potential.Starting from a quantum hydrodynamic model coupled to the Poisson equation,we derive the general dispersion relation for surface plasma waves.Previous results in this context are recovered.The dispersion properties of the surface waves are analyzed in some particular cases of interest and the relative influence of the quantum forces on these waves are also studied for a nano-sized GaAs semiconductor plasma.It is found that the CE effects significantly modify the behaviors of the SP waves.The present results are applicable to understand the propagation characteristics of surface waves in solid density plasmas.     

Experimental Studies of Microwave Reflection and Attenuation by Plasmas Produced by Burning Chemicals in Atmosphere

A series of chemicals are designed and prepared. With the method of thermodynamics, the average electron densities of the plasmas generated by burning chemicals are calculated. The reflection and attenuation of the microwaves, in a frequency band of 2 GHz to 15 GHz, by the plasma are measured. The results of measurements indicate that the plasma can absorb the energies of the microwaves in a broad band and reflect them faintly. Moreover, theoretical discussion reveals that the electron-neutral collision is the major factor that results in the absorption in the wide band. By using Appleton equations, average collision frequencies and electron densities are calculated from the attenuations of microwaves.     

Application of In-Flight Melting Technology by RF Induction Thermal Plasmas to Glass Production

An innovative in-flight glass melting technology with induced thermal plasmas was developed for the purpose of energy conservation and environmental protection. Two-dimensional modeling was used to simulate the thermofluid fields in the plasma torch. The in-flight melting behavior of glass raw material was investigated by various analysis methods. Results showed that the plasma temperature was up to 10000 K with a maximum velocity over 30 m/s, which made it possible to melt the granulated glass raw material within milliseconds. The carbonates in the raw material decomposed completely and the compounds in the raw material attainted 100% vitrification during the in-flight time from the nozzle exit to substrate. The particle melting process is similar to the unreacted-core shrinking model.     

Surface Potential of Dust Grains at the Sheath Edge of Electronegative Dusty Plasmas

In this paper we investigate the dust surface potential at the sheath edge of electronegative dusty plasmas theoretically, using the standard fluid model for the sheath and treating electrons and negative ions as Boltzmann particles but positive ions and dust grains as cold fluids. The dust charging model is self-consistently coupled with the sheath formation criterion by the dust surface potential and the ion Mach number, moreover the dust density variation is taken into account. The numerical results reveal that the dust number density and negative ion number density as well as its temperature can significantly affect the dust surface potential at the sheath edge.     

Surface Sulfonation of Polyvinyl Chloride by Plasma for Antithrombogenicity

To enhance the blood compatibility of Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) film, the film was modified by SO2/O2 gas plasma treatment. The effect of surface sulfonation of PVC treated by various SO2/O2 gas plasma depended on the volume ratio O2/(SO2 O2). When the volume ratio was 0.5, the effect of sulfonation was the best. Sulfonic acid groups were specifically and efficiently introduced onto the PVC surface, which was proved by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier Transfer Infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy. The surface microstructure of modified PVC film was studied with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The antithrombogenicity of the samples was determined by the activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), prothrombin time (PT), thrombin time (TT) and plasma recalcification time (PRT) tests and platelet adhesion experiment. The results indicated that the antithrombogenicity of modified PVC was improved remarkably.     

Incorporation of Nitrogen into Amorphous Carbon Films Produced by Surface-Wave Plasma Chemical Vapor Deposition

In order to study the influence of nitrogen incorporated into amorphous carbon films, nitrogenated amorphous carbon films have been deposited by using surface wave plasma chemical vapor deposition under various ratios of N2/CH4 gas flow. Optical emission spectroscopy has been used to monitor plasma features near the deposition zone. After deposition, the samples are checked by Raman spectroscopy and x-ray photo spectroscopy (XPS). Optical emission intensities of CH and N atom in the plasma are found to be enhanced with the increase in the N2/CH4 gas flow ratio, and then reach their maximums when the N2/CH4 gas flow ratio is 5%. A contrary variation is found in Raman spectra of deposited films. The intensity ratio of the D band to the G band (ID/IG) and the peak positions of the G and D bands all reach their minimums when the N2/CH4 gas flow ratio is 5%. These show that the structure of amorphous carbon films has been significantly modified by introduction of nitrogen。     

Polymer Surface Treatment by Atmospheric Pressure Low Temperature Surface Discharge Plasma： Its Characteristics and Comparison with Low Pressure Oxygen Plasma Treatment

The polymer treatment with a low-temperature plasma jet generated on the atmospheric pressure surface discharge （SD） plasma is performed. The change of the surface property over time, in comparison with low pressure oxygen （O2） plasma treatment, is examined. As one compares the treatment by atmospheric pressure plasma to that by the low pressure O2 plasma of PS （polystyrene） the treatment effects were almost in complete agreement. However, when the atmospheric pressure plasma was used for PP（polypropylene）, it produced remarkable hydrophilic effects.     

Surface Activation of Plane and Curved Automotive Polymer Surfaces by Using a Fittable Multi-Pin DBD Plasma Source

In this work, surface activation of automotive polymers using atmospheric pressure plasmas was investigated. The aim was to increase the polar fraction of the surface energy of both plane and convex polymer devices with a radius in the range of 30 mm. For this purpose, a fittable low temperature atmospheric pressure plasma source based on capacitively coupled multi-pin electrodes was set up and applied. Each single electrode generates a treatment spot of approximately 2 cm2 with a tunable power density of up to 1.4 W/cm2. The surface energy was evaluated by contact angle measurements. After treatment at a low energy density of 1.01 J/cm2, the polar fraction of the surface energy of the investigated polymers was increased by a factor of 3.3 to 132, depending on the polymer materials. It was shown that by applying the presented fittable plasma source, this effect is independent of the surface radius of the polymer sample.     

The Diagnosis of Plasma Parameters in Surface Alloying Technique by Optical Emission Spectrometry

Electron density （Ne） in a glow discharge plasma for the surface alloying technique is diagnosed by optical emission spectrometry （OES）. With CH4 as the feeding gas, Ne is obtained by comparing the Hβ spectrum according to the Stark broadening effect. It is noticed that Ne varies with the working pressures （30 Pa to 70 Pa） and cathode voltages （500 V to 1000 V）, respectively. Due to an abnormal glow discharge, Ne is between 1. 71 × 10^15 /cm^3 to 6.64 × 10^15 /cm^3 and increases rapidly with working gas pressures and cathode voltages. The results show that OES is a useful method to measure the plasma parameters in a surface alloying glow discharge plasma.     

Experimental and numerical studies on the receiving gain enhancement modulated by a sub-wavelength plasma layer

A novel technique based on sub-wavelength plasma structure effects on enhancement of RF communication signals on a receiving antenna is carried out in this paper in laboratory experiments and analyzed by corresponding numerical simulations. Considerable intensification on receiving signal gain up to～10 dB in comparison with that without the plasma modulation is observed experimentally in～1 GHz RF band, with an effective enhancement bandwidth of～340 MHz and the fractional bandwidth of～34％. Then, the optimal modulation parameters of plasma are further studied by a numerical simulation. It is shown that the number density, the layer thickness, and the collision frequency of the plasma, as well as the relative distance between the plasma layer and antenna synergistically affect the modulation. Compared to the metallic antenna with the same overall dimension, the modulated antenna covered by the subwavelength plasma structure features higher receiving efficiency and lower radar cross section in the studied RF band. The mechanism of the reception enhancement is further revealed by analyzing characteristics of electromagnetic scattering and electric field distribution in the subwavelength plasma layer. The results then exhibit scientific significance and application potential of sub-wavelength plasma modulation on compact receiving antennas with higher performance and better feature of radar stealth.     

Surface modification of SUS304 stainless steel by atmospheric pressure Ar/N2/O2 plasma

The surface characteristics of SUS304 stainless steel are investigated before and after surface modification by Ar/N₂/O₂ plasma under atmospheric pressure conditions. It was found that plasma treatment of a stainless steel plate has a significant effect on the wettability, contact angle, and free energy of the SUS304 surface. The contact angle and surface free energy were analyzed. The optimal surface modification parameters are a power of 1000 W, a torch-to-sample distance of 80 mm, a treatment time of 300 s, and an oxygen content of 1.5 wt%. Under these processing conditions, a contact angle of just 1.60° was obtained. The surface morphology, surface element composition, and surface roughness of the treated SUS304 specimens were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM), respectively. The results show that the optimal surface modification conditions lead to the formation of fine, uniformly distributed crystallites in the SUS304 microstructure. Moreover, compared to the untreated surface, the treated surface had a significantly lower carbon content and a more uniform distribution of surface peaks.     

Argon Plasma-Induced Graft Polymerization of PEGMA on Chitosan Membrane Surface for Cell Adhesion Improvement

For its biocompatibility and biodegradability,chitosan has had considerable attention for biomedical applications in recent years.In this paper,polymerization of poly(ethylene glycol)methyl ether methacrylate(PEGMA)was grafted onto chitosan membrane surface through argon plasma-induced graft polymerization.The surface properties after modification were characterized by contact angle measurement,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS)and atomic force microscopy(AFM),respectively.The results indicated that PEGMA can be grafted successfully onto chitosan membrane surface.The surface hydrophilicity and free energy were improved and the surface roughness increased after modification.The adhesion of a human corneal epithelial cell(HCEC)on chitosan membrane surface was enhanced due to improvement of surface free energy and roughness.     

Surface modification of silicone rubber by CF4 radio frequency capacitively coupled plasma for improvement of flashover

The flashover performance of insulating materials plays an important role in the development of high-voltage insulation systems. In this paper, silicone rubber(SIR) is modified by CF₄ radio frequency capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) for the improvement of surface insulation performance. The discharge mode and active particles of CCP are diagnosed by the digital single-lens reflex and the spectrometer. Scanning electron microscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy are used for the surface physicochemical properties of samples, while the surface charge dissipation, charge accumulation measurement, and flashover test are applied for the surface electrical characteristics. Experimental results show that the fluorocarbon groups can be grafted and the surface roughness increases after plasma treatment. Besides, the surface charge dissipation is decelerated and the positive charge accumulation is inhibited obviously for the treated samples. Furthermore, the surface flashover voltage can be increased by 26.67% after 10 min of treatment. It is considered that strong electron affinity of C–F and increased surface roughness can contribute to deepening surface traps, which not only inhibits the development of secondary electron emission avalanche but also alleviates the surface charge accumulation and finally improves the surface flashover voltage of SIR.     

Surface Modification of Polyethylene by Heparin for Improvement of Antithrombogenicity

The purpose of this paper was to enhance blood compatibility of polyethylene （PE） film. PE film pretreated by argon plasma was subjected to ultraviolet （UV） -induced graft polymerization with Acrylic acid（AAc） （AAc-grafted PE films, PE-g-PAAc） without photo-initiator, then heparin was covalently immobilized on the PE surface （PE-g-HPAAc）. The surface properties and microstructure of PE-g-PAAc and PE-g-HPAAc were studied by static contact angle measurement, atomic force microscope （AFM）, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS） and Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transfer infrared spectroscopy （ATR-FTIR）. It was confirmed that AAc and heparin were successfully immobilized onto the surface of PE film. Results of platelet adhesion experiments indicated that the antithrombogenicity of the modified PE film was remarkably improved.     

Candidate for Residual Defect in Silicon Surface Barrier Detector

The residual defect in the pulse height defect of a silicon surface barrier detector is investigated theoretically. An application of the model of charge collection process leads to another candidate for the residual defect than the recombination defect. The residual defect is due to incomplete charge induction by electrons and holes inside a plasma column, which has dielectricity-like property. Quantity of induced charge is shown in a ratio to the number of produced electron-hole pairs as functions of depletion layer thickness, plasma column length and resistivity of the detector. Experimental result of the residual defect of ⁵⁸Ni ion and its analysis method applying this model are presented. The residual defect is successfully explained by this model.     

Direct Surface Modification of Zirconium by Reactive Plasma Processing at Elevated Temperatures

This paper investigates a surface modification process for Zr to improve its durability, in order to make use of Zr in a blanket module as an effective neutron multiplier with (n, 2n) reaction. Modified ceramic layers were successfully synthesized on Zr substrates by carburizing, nitriding and oxidizing using reactive plasma processes. The microstruc- tural evolution during the plasma process is governed both by the kinetics of the diffusion and by the kinetics of the ordering to form the reaction products. In the case of carburizing, the growth rate of the carbide layer is restrained by the diffusion of C, which was clarified to exhibit high covalency with the neighboring Zr atoms by a first principles molecular orbital simulation, through the layer. By contrast, the diffusion of O which exhibits high ionicity rather than covalency with the Zr lattice is much faster than the rate of ordering to form the monoclinic ZrO₂ phase. A 20 MeV electron beam pre-irradiation process was also conducted at ambient temperatures as a pre-treatment before the plasma process. The electron beam irradiation can influence the reaction behavior during the plasma process, depending on the process conditions.