Cleaning of silica surfaces by surface dielectric barrier discharge plasma

Abstract

This work presents a simple and easy method of surface cleaning of silica substrates used for thin film depositions and preparation of microscopy samples. To this purpose, we use a surface dielectric barrier discharge (SDBD) in flow of dried air (relative humidity below 2 %) at atmospheric pressure. The silica substrates and SDBD electrodes were mounted face to face with a small gap (2 mm) through which was flown the working gas. The cleaning effectiveness was evaluated by measurements of water contact angle of the silica surfaces, which showed a decrease from 60° to >30° in 20 min of treatment.