Publications Details
Rapid plasma cleaning as a waste minimization tool
Although plasma cleaning is a recognized substitute for solvent cleaning in removing organic contaminants, current cleaning rates are impractically low for many applications. A set of experiments is described which demonstrate that the rate of plasma removal of organic contaminants can be greatly increased by modification of the plasma chemistry. A comparison of plasma cleaning rates of argon, oxygen and oxygen/sulfur hexafluoride gases shows that the fluorine containing plasma is at least an order of magnitude faster at etching organics. Rates are reported for the removal of polymer films and of A-9 Aluminum cutting fluid. 7 refs.