When
a substance is heated it passes through several transitions
from solid to liquid, liquid to gas and then finally the substance
will disintegrate into radicals and charged cations and anions
(thus plasma is sometimes described as the "fourth state of
matter"). This collection of particles can be used for several
purposes including etching, cleaning, surface modification,
depositing and graft-polymerisation. Plasma is used particularly
in the medical industry where it is used to improve biocompatibility
without modifying the bulk properties of the substance.
The plasma reactor is a Plasma Tech V-15-GL made by Plasma-Finish
Gmbh and consists of a 250x250x250mm rectangular aluminium
reactor chamber with adaptors for 3 gas channels and liquid
inflow as well as vacuum. Excitation is achieved through
a microwave operating at 2.45 GHz and a power range up to
600W.
