Design of a microplasma device for spatially localised plasma polymerisation

There is considerable interest in the spatial control of plasma polymerisation such as to produce sub-millimetre features with high fidelity, versatility and reproducibility, for example, for arrays or writable specific patterns. This study reports the design of a microcavity plasma device and a method for its fabrication, with the device comprising a single cavity of � 400 mm diameter. The device can be fabricated within a short time and at low cost in a standard laboratory, with no need for a clean room facility. The device is capable of multiple operations in plasma polymerisation mode. XPS imaging combined with small-spot ROI analysis showed localised thin film deposition of an acrylic acid plasma polymer with good retention of carboxylate groups from the monomer. The device can be configured with flexibility and addressedforplasma polymer writing of complex patterns.

[1]  Gas Recognition Films Fabricated by Microplasma Technology , 2006 .

[2]  Karl H. Schoenbach,et al.  Microplasmas and applications , 2006 .

[3]  A. Mau,et al.  Surface Modification by Plasma Etching and Plasma Patterning , 1997 .

[4]  A. Hoffman,et al.  Plasma lithography — thin-film patterning of polymeric biomaterials by RF plasma polymerization I: Surface preparation and analysis , 2001, Journal of biomaterials science. Polymer edition.

[5]  A. Hoffman,et al.  Plasma lithography — thin-film patterning of polymers by RF plasma polymerization II: Study of differential binding using adsorption probes , 2001, Journal of biomaterials science. Polymer edition.

[6]  D. Castner,et al.  Pulsed‐Plasma‐Induced Micropatterning with Alternating Hydrophilic and Hydrophobic Surface Chemistries , 2008 .

[7]  Robert D. Short,et al.  Deposition of functional coatings from acrylic acid and octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane onto steel using an atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge , 2008 .

[8]  Robert D. Short,et al.  Plasma Treatment of Polymers: The Effects of Energy Transfer from an Argon Plasma on the Surface Chemistry of Polystyrene, and Polypropylene. A High-Energy Resolution X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy Study , 1998 .

[9]  N. Ostrom,et al.  40000pixel arrays of ac-excited silicon microcavity plasma devices , 2005 .

[10]  C. Berger,et al.  Microplasma‐Based Treatment of Inner Surfaces in Microfluidic Devices , 2007 .

[11]  Kurt Becker,et al.  Microplasmas, an emerging field of low-temperature plasma science and technology , 2006 .

[12]  U. Kogelschatz,et al.  Applications of Microplasmas and Microreactor Technology , 2007 .

[13]  H. Reinecke,et al.  Porous Photoresist Stamps for Selective Plasma Treatment , 2010 .

[14]  Takanori Ichiki,et al.  Maskless etching of microstructures using a scanning microplasma etcher , 2006 .

[15]  Sung-Jin Park,et al.  The use of a micro-cavity discharge array at atmospheric pressure to investigate the spatial modification of polymer surfaces , 2010 .

[16]  Konstantinos P. Giapis,et al.  High-pressure micro-discharges in etching and deposition applications , 2003 .

[17]  S. Büttgenbach,et al.  Microplasma stamps for selective surface modification: design and characterization , 2008 .

[18]  James L. Walsh,et al.  Microplasmas: sources, particle kinetics, and biomedical applications , 2008 .

[19]  J. Ihde,et al.  Plasma Polymerization of HMDSO with an Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Jet for Corrosion Protection of Aluminum and Low‐Adhesion Surfaces , 2009 .