Plasma physics and plasma technology

Abstract

Plasma physics has its great potential as a pure science. This comes from the physics for collective phenomena, non-linear and turbulent phenomena, as well as its effects on the relaxation and transport phenomena in the plasma. On the other hand, application of the plasma started from the telecommunication through the ionosphere, electric discharge. From the 1950s, research on controlled fusion energy required plasma physics, including waves and instabilities, transport and heating of the plasma in a magnetic field and interaction between electromagnetic waves and plasmas in inertial confined plasma.Recently, plasma applications expanded to many key technologies, which will be used in the 21st century, such as semiconductor and computer chip production, hardening of cutting tools, thin film coating of ceramics or metals or other solid items for many new quality improvements by modification of surfaces, and many applications to environmental issues, including dissociation of hazardous gases such as dioxin. In these applications, ready-made plasmas have been used, so far. In future, the technological requirements encourage better plasma production and better plasma control for customized plasmas. For those new purposes, plasma physicists are encouraged to study the plasma phenomena in industrial plasmas. This would give a new perspective in the plasma physics in the 21st century.