Introduction
Plasma treatment is used for intermediate and finishing treatment of optical components. Plasma discharge in the process gas environment selectively affects the peaks of surface roughness, significantly reducing it compared to the initial value [1]. The underlying physical and chemical mechanisms of plasma treatment make it possible not only to remove carbon-containing impurities from the surface of optical components [2], but also residues of polishing agents and other working materials [3]. Under the influence of plasma ions, the surface is modified, which reduces the damage caused by laser treatment [4], or the surface energy changes, which leads to an improvement in the adhesion of subsequent coatings on both glass optical components [5] and polymer materials [6]. With the right treatment mode, it is possible to remove carbon-containing contaminants without damaging the coating on the surface of the optics [7]. Plasma treatment is used to clean optical elements in extreme ultraviolet lithography installations [8] and quartz windows in tokamaks and other thermonuclear power plants [9]. Plasma treatment is also suitable for matching the refractive index of the surfaces of glass products due to modification of the chemical composition of the surface layer of glass due to ionic action [10].
In addition, plasma treatment is used in semiconductor manufacturing (purification of the substrate for applying technological layers of the conductor; etching of the workpiece during the manufacture of microcircuits, removing the photoresist from the substrate) [11]; in medicine (activation of the scalpel surface for applying an anti-corrosion layer of metal; cleaning of catheters and breathing masks) [12]; in the production of composite materials (increasing the surface energy and adhesive properties of composite components) [13] and others, where it is necessary to remove impurities from the surface, make the surface more active, etch microstructures or modify the surface layer.
Operations of preliminary surface preparation are mandatory in almost any technological process of production of optics, photonics, micro and nanoelectronics, etc. Currently, the required surface cleanliness is achieved mainly in two ways: liquid chemical cleaning or plasma treatment. The advantage of plasma purification over liquid purification is the absence of reaction products, which are often toxic and harmful to the environment and human health.
For plasma processing, the products are placed in a vacuum chamber, air is pumped out, then the required process gas is supplied and a gas discharge is ignited. Plasma processing of products occurs due to the physical interaction of ions with the surface of the processing object. The type of exposure, the duration of treatment and the temperature of the sample depend on the type of process gas, ion energy and their quantity (density). Modern semiconductor, photonic and quantum micro and nanostructures impose increasingly stringent requirements for temperature and energy effects during their formation, while processing efficiency must be maintained. The solution is to use new methods of generating gas-discharge plasma that meets these requirements, for example, the use of low-temperature pulsed plasma with a high density of low-energy ions.
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Conclusion
The use of a high-current bipolar low-frequency pulse generator in plasma processing plants for microelectronics products will allow using all the advantages of plasma processing and reduce the negative impact on sensitive structures. This will allow processing a wider range of optics, photonics and micro and nanoelectronics products.
The appearance on the market of domestic plasma processing units with both standard LF and HF, and with pulse generators, not only solves the problem of import substitution, but also contributes to the development and production of promising products. The installations are developed and manufactured by GN tech and allow you to implement a full range of tasks specific to this class of equipment. The high localization of the component base allows you to reduce the cost by about 30% compared to foreign analogues, and our own production and development team ensure short production times and configuration of systems to meet customer requirements.
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