Manufacturing facilities are under increasing pressure to produce efficient, high-quality results, especially in industries that require precision components. Engineers are examining every step in the process, from design to final product, looking for innovative ways to meet stringent consumer demands. One of the most popular solutions to quality, efficiency and sustainability challenges is the use of plasma in manufacturing. Due to an increased demand for advanced semiconductor manufacturing processes, the global plasma source market is expected to reach $2.6 billion by 2030. In addition, the rising focus on plasma-based surface cleaning and modification is another powerful driver for this market.
What Is Plasma and How Is It Used in the Manufacturing Industry?
Plasma is a neutral ionized gas consisting of free electrons and positive and negative ions. Many refer to it as the fourth state of matter after liquids, solids and gasses. Plasma is created by applying energy to a gas until a critical number of electrons leave the atomic shell and the gas ionizes. Although plasma has been part of the natural world for millennia, recent technological innovations have made it commonplace in manufacturing and become part of daily production. Plasma is used for several applications in the manufacturing industry, including producing high-quality electronic, aerospace, automotive and medical components. Some common ways you can use plasma in the manufacturing industry include:
- Plasma cleaning: Plasma cleaning removes contaminants from sensitive component surfaces to increase bond and adhesive strength.
- Plasma etching: This process uses plasma to remove select materials from various component surfaces. It allows for the precise shaping of materials, including more intricately designed parts.
- Plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD): PECVD uses plasma to deposit thin, protective material films on sensitive surfaces. The process can create insulating layers on electronic components.
Industries That Use Plasma in Various Processes
Using plasma is commonplace in manufacturing components for various industries, including:
- Electronics: Electronics comprise several sensitive components that require dry in-line manufacturing methods. Plasma treatments allow for cleaning prior to construction of circuit boards and other electronic components.
- Medical: Many medical machines require high-level adhesion to deliver quality results. Plasma treatments effectively clean many medical components, providing the sterility necessary for use in health care.
- Automotive and aerospace: Automotive and aerospace products are subject to strenuous field conditions with little to no tolerance for field failure. Plasma cleaning can increase yield, bond strength and process control, creating a more reliable and longer-lasting product.
What Is Plasma Cleaning Used for?
Plasma cleaning is one of the most popular ways to use plasma in manufacturing. All surfaces have microscopic contaminants, which must be removed to promote adhesion in critical components. Plasma cleaning can remove both organic and inorganic contaminants. It’s an efficient method of removing surface oxidation and organic residue from many different surfaces, from metals and alloys to plastics. Plasma cleaning removes surface contaminants without affecting material performance or integrity. This gentleness leads to significant versatility, and you can apply plasma treatments to various materials and sensitive components. Some examples of plasma cleaning applications include:
- Semiconductor wafers
- Wire bonding and die attach
- Wetting and adhesion in electrics assembly
- Bonding composite structures, fasteners and assemblies
The Benefits of Plasma Cleaning
Plasma cleaning provides many benefits in manufacturing applications, including:
- Improved adhesion: Plasma cleaning in a manufacturing line can improve the bonds created further along in the process. As the cleaning removes any foreign contaminants on the base material, these contaminants no longer inhibit the bond. Easily adjust the cleaning process to target specific materials and contaminants.
- Reduced waste: Contaminants inhibit plating or bonding in manufacturing, which can cause bubbling and general adhesion issues. These issues can often render components unusable, resulting in excess waste and impacting profitability. Plasma cleaning prior to the bonding and plating process can alleviate these challenges.
- Improved sustainability: Plasma cleaning eliminates the need for harsh cleaning chemicals and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which harm the environment and pose a risk to people in close proximity. The plasma cleaning process is inherently environmentally friendly, making it a popular choice in today’s market, where almost 90% of consumers believe that organizations should do more to reduce their carbon impact.
The Different Types of Plasma
Depending on the application, you can use several gasses to create plasma for manufacturing applications. Each plasma type has advantages and drawbacks. However, they all perform a crucial role in overall manufacturing workflows. Some of the principal plasma types used in manufacturing include:
Argon-Only Plasma
In conventional vacuum-based methods, argon-only plasma generates ion bombardment, which roughens the surface and presents a major issue in semiconductor manufacturing. When generating plasma with atmospheric pressure, argon can act as a carrier of process gasses that gently react away surface contaminants — ideal for sensitive parts.
Argon-Oxygen Based Plasma
When oxygen is introduced as a process gas in argon plasma, the oxygen molecule can disassociate, forming highly reactive single oxygen atoms. These atoms react with organic contaminants on the surface of the substrate. The contaminant is transformed into a gas and removed from the substrate without requiring fluids. Oxygen plasma is so reactive that it can even insert itself into polymer chains when thermodynamically favorable and form polar functional groups on polymer surfaces, making it a valuable tool in many surface cleaning applications.
Argon-Hydrogen Based Plasma
Hydrogen (H2) plasma is a robust reducing agent used to clean or reduce oxides from various components. Similar to oxygen, when hydrogen is introduced as a process gas in argon plasma, the hydrogen molecule can disassociate, forming single neutral hydrogen radicals. These radicals are highly reactive and can react with metal oxides to reduce materials back to pure metal. This process is highly valuable in many microelectronics and semiconductor applications.
Helium-Based Plasma
Helium-based plasma works the same as argon-based. Although it’s easier to strike plasma due to the gas’s valence electron properties, helium is less desirable for high-volume manufacturing because it is more costly.
Integrate Plasma Into Your Manufacturing Processes With Surfx Technologies
Integrating plasma into your manufacturing processes provides significant benefits, reducing your reliance on potentially harmful chemicals and enhancing adhesion without damaging sensitive components. Surfx Technologies can transform your operation with our range of atmospheric plasmas, ideal for high-volume manufacturing of electrical components, automotive electronics and medical devices. Our innovative automatic plasma machines incorporate treatment speeds, process tuning and process logging, creating high-quality products you can trust. Contact us today to learn more about our fully patented plasma solutions, or request a demo and experience the Surfx Technologies difference firsthand.