Department of Low-Temperature Plasma

The Department of Low-Temperature Plasma focuses on basic and applied research of various types of low-temperature plasma, its interaction with solid phase and its application for the research of deposition of various types of layers and thin-film structures. This research involves the characterization of low-temperature plasma using complex diagnostic methods.
New original diagnostic methods of low-temperature plasma, which are suitable for implementation into industrial technological processes using low-temperature plasma, were also implemented.

From the point of view of thin films, we focus especially on semiconducting layers with applications in photoelectrochemistry, catalysis, photonics, optical security structures, sensors, etc. We also focus on hard coatings in special cases of 3D substrates, which are mostly nitrides or carbides of various metals or their alloys.

In terms of types of plasma processes we use different hybrid plasma sources as for example different types of reactive pulsed magnetrons HiPIMS combined with inductively coupled high-frequency discharge working with electron cyclotron wave in resonance (ECWR), or various modifications of systems using hollow cathode discharges with plasma jets.

For some special applications, we use the plasma ALD method of our own construction, where the plasma is excited by a microwave surfatron in a special arrangement and further ICP plasma source called  ECWR.