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Technology Breakthrough
The Atomflo™ plasma systems are a technology breakthrough! They provide a beam
of high-density plasma for materials processing at atmospheric pressure and low
temperature. The clean reactive gas flows over and through micro-structured materials
uniformly treating surfaces without any damage.
The advantages of Surfx's atmospheric plasma sources are:
- Fast treatment: High density of reactive species.
- Clean process: No significant particle contamination; less than found in vacuum plasmas.
- Low temperature: Plasma safely treats thermally sensitive materials.
- No substrate damage: Ions and electrons are confined to the source and do not bombard the surface.
- No pump cycles: Operation at atmospheric pressure eliminates complicated and time-consuming pump and vent cycles.
- Versatile chemistry: Atomflo™ plasmas employ a wide range of gas and liquid chemistries.
- Ease of Integration: Atomflo™ plasma systems have a small footprint and are easily integrated into existing process flows.
- Safe and reliable: The plasma source runs continuously with no moving or consumable parts, uses low-voltage RF power, and can be safely operated by hand.
- Low cost: Lower cost of ownership (COO) than competing technologies.
Our atmospheric plasma is a low temperature source of atoms and radicals. These reactive species are
delivered to the sample to clean, remove, modify, or deposit a material of your choice. The Atomflo™
is the only atmospheric plasma on the market that offers a broad range of surface chemistries. An inert gas,
helium or argon, is fed to the source along with a few percent of gas molecules, such as oxygen, hydrogen,
nitrogen, or carbon tetrafluoride, thereby generating O, H, N or F atoms to plasma treat the surface.
The Atomflo™ provides all the power of plasma chemistry with none of the hassle of vacuum operation.
Moreover, there is no risk of electrical shock from the source. In the sections below, we describe some
of the valuable uses of our exciting product.
Click here to request a free copy of our Application Notes. These notes describe the principles of
operation of different atmospheric plasmas, including coronas, dielectric barrier discharges, plasma
torches, and the Atomflo™ RF plasma. In addition, they describe the use of atmospheric plasma
for surface treatment, including plasma cleaning, plasma coating, etching, and surface activation
for adhesion.
To see the Atomflo™ atmospheric plasma system in action, visit our video library.
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MEMS and Microfludics
Micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) and microfluidics require advanced plasma processing during their manufacture.
Atomflo™ plasma systems may be used to:
- Clean interior surfaces
- Remove bio-foulants and organic contamination
- Activate surfaces for direct bonding or film adhesion
- Enhance wetting to eliminate trapped bubbles
The Atomflo™ is uniquely suited for MEMS because the plasma flows through the device treating all
surfaces uniformly. Surfx's plasma systems are a proven solution for critical MEMS and microfluidics fabrication steps.
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Semiconductors
Atomflo™ plasma systems are an effective, low-cost solution for R&D and process development on semiconductors,
solar cells, batteries and sensors:
- Surface activation for direct wafer bonding and thin film adhesion
- Enhanced wettability for improving liquid flow over wafer surfaces
- Metal oxide removal for metal-metal bonding
- Wafer cleaning and organic contamination removal
- Photoresist etching
Atomflo™ plasma systems provide highly repeatable, single part processing with excellent treatment uniformity.
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Medical Devices
High performance materials used in medical devices present a variety of adhesion and bonding challenges.
Atomflo™ plasma systems are used for:
- Enhanced adhesion
- Controlled wettability and surface energy
- Hydrophilic or hydrophobic surfaces
- Biocompatibility
The Atomflo™ integrates into all phases of product assembly either as a stand-alone, bench top system or in fully automated production.
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Plastics and Composites
Advanced engineering plastics are widely used in automobiles, military and civilian aircraft,
consumer electronics, and medical devices. Atomflo plasmas systems can solve adhesion problems with
many polymers, including:
- Liquid crystal polymer (LCP)
- Polyetheretherketone (PEEK)
- Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)
- High-density polyethylene (HDPE)
- Acetal copolymer (Delrin®)
- Ethylene tetrafluorethylene (ETFE)
Unlike toxic or dangerous chemical treatments, Surfx's atmospheric pressure plasmas are safe, green and easy to use.
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