Plasmas and Manufacturing
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Impact on daily life

Products manufactured
using plasmas impact our daily lives

  • Computer chips and integrated circuits
  • Computer hard drives
  • Electronics
  • Machine tools
  • Medical implants and prosthetics
  • Audio and video tapes
  • Aircraft and automobile engine parts
  • Printing on plastic food containers
  • Energy-efficient window coatings
  • High-efficiency window coatings
  • Safe drinking water
  • Voice and data communications components
  • Anti-scratch and anti-glare coatings on eyeglasses and other optics

Importance for industry

Plasma technologies are important in industries with annual world markets approaching $200 billion

  • Waste processing
  • Coatings and films
  • Electronics
  • Computer chips and integrated circuits
  • Advanced materials
    (e.g., ceramics)
  • High-efficiency lighting

Diverse technologies

  Plasma technologies are used by a wide variety of   companies worldwide.

Plasma processing
Radio frequency inductively-coupled plasma source for plasma processing
Plasma chemistry
Microwave generated plasma for plasma chemistry research

Chemical analysis

Penning plasma discharge for chemical
analysis of gases

Plasma Generation Devices

- Low pressure electrical discharge

- Penning plasma discharge

- Radio-frequency (RF) capacitive discharges

- RF inductively coupled plasmas

- Microwave generated plasmas

Plasma Deposition of Films

- Polycrystalline SiO2 films for low cost solar cells

- Flat panel display transistors

- Diamond films for high heat conductivity and wear resistance

to top of page Graphics for this page courtesy of the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory.