Large-area and low-damage processes for hybrid flexible device fabrications with reactive high-density plasmas driven by multiple low-inductance antenna modules

Abstract

Plasma generation and control technologies for meters-scale ultra-large-area plasma sources have been developed with multiple low-inductance antenna (LIA) modules, as a promising candidate of ultra-large-area and high-density plasma sources for next-generation processing of hybrid flexible devices. Properties of argon-oxygen mixture plasmas sustained with multiple LIA units have been investigated and surface modifications of polymer substrates using the plasmas have been performed. Ion energy distribution at the sheath edge of the argon-oxygen mixture plasmas showed considerable suppression of ion energies as small as or less than 10 eV. We have examined effect of plasma exposure on surface modification and/or degradation of polymer. Surface analysis of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) exhibited nano-surface modification of the polymer surface without suffering degradation of molecular structures beneath the nano- surface layer.