Dual-plasma ion process for surface treatment of insulators

Surface treatment of insulator materials has growing needs recently. However, accumulation of charges on the insulator surface limits the applicability of plasma methods for the insulator processing. A radio-frequency-bias method is a good choice but it still has a problem coming from the oscillating sheath potential. In the present study, we are proposing the dual-plasma ion process, a new plasma process that enables for insulator samples to be treated by an energy-controlled, dc ion beam without surface charging. The concept and results of the proof-of-principle experiment are given.