AVS 62nd International Symposium & Exhibition
    Plasma Science and Technology Thursday Sessions
       Session PS-ThP

Paper PS-ThP18
Spectroscopic Investigation of Hydrocarbon Plasmas for Coating Applications

Thursday, October 22, 2015, 6:00 pm, Room Hall 3

Session: Plasma Science and Technology Poster Session
Presenter: Sarah Siepa, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany
Authors: S. Siepa, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany
S. Grosse, Robert Bosch GmbH, Germany
M. Guenther, Robert Bosch GmbH, Germany
A. von Keudell, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany
Correspondent: Click to Email
Diamond-like carbon (DLC) is widely used in coating applications, e.g. as wear-resistant coating on automotive components. One of the common technologies to deposit such layers is by using hydrocarbon plasmas with feed gases such as methane or acetylene. In order to better understand the coating process and to be able to tailor the plasma to the optimum conditions for the specific components, various diagnostic methods are applied to an industrial-scale plasma reactor. Besides probe measurements and Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry (QMS), Optical Emission Spectroscopy (OES) is used. OES investigations have the advantage of being easily applicable even under industrial conditions, where access to the plasma is often limited and homogeneity requires the use of a non-disturbing diagnostic technique. From the spectroscopic measurements and the corresponding model, the excitation dynamics of the plasma is investigated. The plasma parameters electron density and temperature (mean energy) can be determined as a function of input parameters such as pressure, power and gas flow.