Facing the Future: Time for Real Talk, Early and Often, Between Design and Fabrication
Trouble in Your Tank: Can You Drill the Perfect Hole?
It’s Only Common Sense: Your Guide to Better Time Management
Plasma Applications in the PCB Industry
June 3, 2020 | Nikolaus SchubkegelEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Plasma, which consists of ionized gas atoms, is the fourth state of matter. On Earth, plasma does not occur naturally, but it is sometimes visible at high altitudes as auroras. But off-planet, elsewhere in the universe, almost all visible matter is plasma. Plasma is a mixture of positively charged atomic hulls, free electrons, free radicals, and neutral particles; the total electrical charge is neutral, conductive, and highly reactive. Due to permanent recombination, plasma lights can come in different colors. The colors depend on the nature of the gas.
The plasma particles have great speed, and thus, high energy content. Irving Langmuir was the first who called ionized gas “plasma.” Although there are several methods known to produce plasma, only one method is widely used in manufacturing PCBs: RF discharge at 40 kHz or 13.56 MHz or microwave discharge at 2.45 GHz at low pressure 0.1–1.0 mbar. This method produces what is commonly known as “cold plasma.” There is also plasma at atmospheric pressure, with technical applications. This article deals only with low-pressure plasma.
Equipment Available to Produce Plasma
Most plasma equipment is comprised of discontinuous (batch) systems, although there are also continuous systems available. The batch systems have some volume of l.0 to 10 m³ and more. The common units in the PCB industry have volumes of approximately 0.2 to 3 m³. Continuous systems are available for flexible circuits, reel to reel, and rigid products as well.
To read this entire article, which appeared in the May 2020 issue of PCB007 Magazine, click here.
Share on:
Suggested Items
OSI Systems Lands $17 Million Order for Cargo and Vehicle Inspection Systems
07/07/2025 | BUSINESS WIREOSI Systems, Inc. announced that its Security division received an order valued at approximately $17 million from an international customer for cargo and vehicle inspection systems.
KYOCERA AVX Releases New 3DB Hybrid Couplers
07/04/2025 | PRNewswireKYOCERA AVX, a leading global manufacturer of advanced electronic components engineered to accelerate technological innovation and build a better future, released a new line of integrated thin film (ITF) hybrid couplers designed to facilitate the continued evolution of high-frequency wireless systems in industrial, automotive, telecommunications, and telemetry applications.
Driving Innovation: Direct Imaging vs. Conventional Exposure
07/01/2025 | Simon Khesin -- Column: Driving InnovationMy first camera used Kodak film. I even experimented with developing photos in the bathroom, though I usually dropped the film off at a Kodak center and received the prints two weeks later, only to discover that some images were out of focus or poorly framed. Today, every smartphone contains a high-quality camera capable of producing stunning images instantly.
IBM, RIKEN Unveil First IBM Quantum System Two Outside of the U.S.
06/24/2025 | IBMIBM and RIKEN, a national research laboratory in Japan, today unveiled the first IBM Quantum System Two ever to be deployed outside of the United States and beyond an IBM Quantum Data Center.
Zero Defects International Partner, Epoch International, Announces Sale on Precision Control Systems
06/21/2025 | Zero Defects InternationalZero Defects International partner, EPOCH INTERNATIONAL, has announced significantly reduced overstock pricing for a large quantity of precision industrial motor, actuator, and sensor control systems.