Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-vdxz6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T00:56:03.907Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Atmospheric pressure high-power impulse plasma source for deposition of metallic coatings

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 June 2019

Vasiliki Z. Poenitzsch*
Affiliation:
Materials Engineering Department, Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas 78238, USA
Ronghua Wei
Affiliation:
Materials Engineering Department, Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas 78238, USA
Michael A. Miller
Affiliation:
Materials Engineering Department, Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas 78238, USA
Kent E. Coulter
Affiliation:
Materials Engineering Department, Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas 78238, USA
*
a)Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

A novel high-power impulse plasma source (HiPIPS) technology that combines atmospheric pressure plasma jets with high-power pulsed direct current generators is described. Pulsed power is applied in microsecond pulses (20 µs) at low duty cycle (10%) and low frequency (0.5 kHz) leading to high peak power densities (10–75 kW) and high peak currents (100–250 A) while maintaining low average power (<40 W) and low processing temperatures (<50 °C). These conditions result in the generation of a highly dense plasma discharge (ne = 6.23 × 1016 cm−3) for surface modification and deposition of coatings. Using HiPIPS, Ar-initiated metallic Ti, CoCr, or Ti–6Al–4V plasma was generated, and the plasma properties were characterized by measuring current–voltage characteristics, electron densities (Langmuir probe), and optical emission spectra. HiPIPS CoCr and Ti–6Al–4V coatings were deposited for proof of concept of the technique. The resulting coatings were examined with scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and nanoindentation.

Type
Invited Feature Paper
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2019 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

This paper has been selected as an Invited Feature Paper.

References

Lundin, D. and Sarakinos, K.: An introduction to thin film processing using high-power impulse magnetron sputtering. J. Mater. Res. 27, 780 (2012).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lin, J., Moore, J.J., Sproul, W.D., Mishra, B., Rees, J.A., Wu, R., Chistyakov, R., and Abraham, B.: Recent advances in modulated pulsed power magnetron sputtering for surface engineering. Surf. Coat. Technol. 203, 3676 (2009).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Alami, J., Gudmundsson, J.T., Bohlmark, J., Birch, J., and Helmersson, U.: Plasma dynamics in a highly ionized pulsed magnetron discharge. Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 14, 525 (2005).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Greczynski, G. and Hultman, L.: Time and energy resolved ion mass spectroscopy studies of the ion flux during high power pulsed magnetron sputtering of Cr in Ar and Ar/N2 atmospheres. Vacuum 84, 1159 (2010).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schütze, A., Jeong, J.Y., Babayan, S.E., Park, J., Selwyn, G.S., and Hicks, R.F.: The atmospheric-pressure plasma jet: A review and comparison to other plasma sources. IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci. 26, 1685 (1988).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nehra, V., Kumar, A., and Dwivedi, H.K.: Atmospheric non-thermal plasma sources. Int. J. Eng. 2, 53 (2008).Google Scholar
Kong, M.G., Ganguly, B.N., and Hicks, R.F.: Plasma jets and plasma bullets. Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 21, 030201 (2012).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Laroussi, M. and Akan, T.: Arc-free atmospheric pressure cold plasma jets: A review. Plasma Processes Polym. 4, 777 (2007).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Laimer, J. and Störi, H.: Recent advances in the research on non-equilibrium atmospheric pressure plasma jets. Plasma Processes Polym. 4, 266 (2007).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morajev, M. and Hicks, R.F.: Atmospheric pressure deposition of coatings using a capacitive discharge source. Chem. Vap. Deposition 11, 469 (2005).Google Scholar
Yim, J.H., Rodriguez-Santiago, V., Williams, A., Gougousi, T., Pappas, D., and Hirvonen, J.K.: Atmospheric pressure plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition of hydrophobic coatings using fluorine-based liquid precursors. Surf. Coat. Technol. 234, 21 (2013).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jain, G., Macia-Montero, M., Velasumy, T., Maguire, P., and Mariotti, D.: Porous zinc oxide nanocrystalline film deposition by atmospheric pressure plasma: Fabrication and energy band estimation. Plasma Processes Polym. 14, 1700052 (2017).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dong, S., Watanabe, M., and Deauskardt, R.H.: Transparent TiNx/TiO2 hybrid films deposited on plastics in air using atmospheric plasma processing. Adv. Funct. Mater. 24, 3075 (2014).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sawada, Y., Ogawa, S., and Kogoma, M.: Synthesis of plasma-polymerized tetraethoxysilane and hexamethyldisiloxane films prepared by atmospheric pressure glow discharge. J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 28, 1661 (1995).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Navinsěk, B., Panjan, P., and Milosěv, I.: PVD Coatings as an alternative to electroplating and electroless processes. Surf. Coat. Technol. 116, 476 (1998).Google Scholar
Pfender, E.: Fundamental studies associated with the plasma spray process. Surf. Coat. Technol. 34, 1 (1988).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kramida, A., Ralchenko, Y., and Reader, J., and NIST ASD Team: NIST Atomic Spectra Database (version 5.5.1) (National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland, 20l7). [Online]. Available at: https://physics.nist.gov/asd [Jan 03 2019].Google Scholar
Timmermans, E.A.H., Jonkers, J., Thomas, I.A.J., Rodero, M.C., Quintero, A., Sola, A., Gamero, A., and van der Mullen, J.A.A.: The behavior of molecules in microwave-induced plasmas studied by optical emission spectroscopy. Spectrochim. Acta, Part B 53, 15531556 (1998).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schaub, S.C., Hummelt, J.S., Guss, W.C., Shapiro, M.A., and Temkin, R.J.: Electron density and gas density measurements in a millimeter-wave discharge. Phys. Plasmas 23, 083512 (2016).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zhou, Q. and Dong, Z.: Modeling study on pressure dependence of plasma structure and formation in 110 GHz microwave air breakdown. Appl. Phys. Lett. 98, 161504 (2011).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dawood, M.S., Hamdan, A., and Margot, J.: Axial- and radial-resolved electron density and excitation temperature of aluminum plasma induced by nanosecond laser: Effect of the ambient gas composition and pressure. AIP Adv. 5, 117136 (2015).CrossRefGoogle Scholar