Course detail

Plasma Chemistry

FCH-MAO_PLA1Acad. year: 2011/2012

This course is focused on basic properties and processes taking place in plasma, including their diagnostics and possible applications. Students are introduced to plasma thermodynamics and kinetics (non-equilibrium and equilibrium plasma, collision processes, distribution functions, basic transport processes in plasma). Lectures also provide a list of basic methods of plasma diagnostics (spectral, probe, and corpuscular methods). The main part of the course deals with plasma in labs, its properties, particular types of electrical discharges, its generation and possible applications (dc, ac, RF, MW, discharges in liquids, plasma excited at high pressure, capacitive and inductive coupled plasma). A list of plasma chemical processes contains especially reactions in active and post-discharge plasma, surface treatment of various materials, creation of thin layers (PE CVD, PA CVD), plasma polymerization, plasma spraying, sputtering, and etching. Moreover, lasers, plasma displays, and plasma as illumination tools belong to special plasma kinds using assisted chemical reactions.

Language of instruction

English

Number of ECTS credits

4

Mode of study

Not applicable.

Offered to foreign students

Of all faculties

Learning outcomes of the course unit

Fundamental properties of plasma state, principles of plasma generation and its diagnostics and present technology of plasma chemistry.

Prerequisites

Physical chemistry - thermodynamics, kinetics.
Physics - mass point motion, electric field and current, magnetic field
Mathematics - differential equations

Co-requisites

Not applicable.

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

Teaching methods depend on the type of course unit as specified in the article 7 of BUT Rules for Studies and Examinations.

Assesment methods and criteria linked to learning outcomes

Written examination.

Course curriculum

1. Plasma definition
Thermodynamic equilibrium and disequilibrium plasma, non-isothermic plasma.
Debye diameter, plasma frequency.
Basic collision processes, cross section, collision frequency.

2. Plasma kinetic theory
Distribution functions.
Boltzmann kinetic equation and its solution, collision factor.
Maxwell distribution function.
Equation of continuity, Langevin equation.

3. Plasma properties
Inner and outer plasma parameters.
Electric conductivity, diffusion and ambipolar diffusion, temperature and concentration of charged particles in various kinds of plasma.
Dielectric plasma properties.
Plasma interaction with electromagnetic fields.

4.-5. Laboratory plasma
Conditions for ignition of various discharges (DC, RF, MW), Townsend´s theory of avalanche growth, Paschen law.
Electric discharges in gases (DC, RF, MW, corona, gliding, barrier, capacitive and inductive coupled discharges).
Electric discharges in liquids.

6.-7. Plasma diagnostics
Spectral and optical methods (electron, excitation, vibrational a rotational temperature), absorption spectroskopy of plasma (CRD, LIF, Raman scattering).
Probe methods (floating and plasma potential, simple and double Langmuir probe).
Corpuscular methods (mass spectrometry, actinometry).

8.-10. Plazmachemical processes
Kinetics of plazmachemical reactions, conditions for realization of plazmachemical reactions, rates of chemical reactions, reactions in non-equilibrium chemical kinetics.
Synthesis of organic compounds, plasma polymerization, deposition of organic layers, semipermeable membranes.
Plasma treatment of solid materials (polymers, textile, glass, semiconductors), change of adhesivity and wettability, surface oxidation reactions, grafting, change of molecular weight, ablation.
Plasma interaction with metals, plasma nitridation, PE CVD, PA CVD.
Plazmachemical treatment of natural materials.

11. Special kinds of plasma with participation of chemical reactions
Plasma in illumination techniques, chemical lasers, flat plasma displays.

12. Plazmachemical technologies
Sputtering (magnetron, diode, high frequency).
Plasma spraying, plasmatrons.
Plasma etching, electron beam.

Work placements

Not applicable.

Aims

Fundamental properties of plasma state and present methodology of plasma chemistry are described in the lectures so that students of chemical engineering can apply the unique physical characteristics of plasma to fields such as material science, microelectronics, biology and polymer, organic, inorganic and analytical chemistry.

Specification of controlled education, way of implementation and compensation for absences

none

Recommended optional programme components

Not applicable.

Prerequisites and corequisites

Not applicable.

Basic literature

Chen F., Chang J. P.: Principles of Plasma Processing. Kluwer Academic, Plenum Publishers, NewYork 2003. (EN)

Recommended reading

Roth J. R.: Industrial Plasma Engineering Volume 1: Principles. Institute of Physics Publishing, Bristol and Philadelphia 1995. (EN)
Roth J. R.: Industrial Plasma Engineering Volume 2: Applications to Nonthermal Plasma Processing. Institute of Physics Publishing, Bristol and Philadelphia 2001. (EN)

Classification of course in study plans

  • Programme NPCP_SCH Master's

    branch NPCO_SCH , 2 year of study, summer semester, compulsory-optional
    branch NPCO_SCH , 1 year of study, summer semester, compulsory-optional

  • Programme CKCP_CZV lifelong learning

    branch CKCO_CZV , 1 year of study, summer semester, compulsory-optional

Type of course unit

 

Lecture

26 hod., optionally

Teacher / Lecturer

Guided consultation in combined form of studies

13 hod., optionally

Teacher / Lecturer