- Upper organisation
- Masaryk University
- Address
Kotlarska 267/2
61137Brno
Czechia
Description
The centre CEPLANT at Masaryk University was established in 2010 in order to develop highly innovative plasma-based technologies for surface modifications according to the market demand, especially the demand of SME. It was enabled due to the more than 50 years lasting tradition of the high-quality applied research of plasma technologies and plasma sources at the Masaryk University.
The long-term vision is to establish a reputable centre that will be the leading Central European R&D institution in the field of in-line plasma surface treatments and will be sought after as an R&D partner by global international companies too.
The main R&D areas are:
1. Plasma treatment to gain required surface properties and plasma diagnostics and modelling (various plasma sources developed by CEPLANT - based on the unique patented technology DCSBD, and several commercial plasma sources);
2. Thin film deposition (preparation of wide range of thin films - metals, oxides, nitrides, ceramics; using different techniques - PVD, PECVD, hybrid PVD-PECVD);
3. Chemical and physical surface analysis (complex study of surface properties due to the unique analytical
methods XPS, SEM, SIMS, VUV-VIS-NIR ellipsometer, AFM, nanoindenter, scratchtester, surface energy
measurement etc.)
CEPLANT
CEPLANT
Contact Person
Mirko CERNAK
Equipment
Thanks to the funding by the European Regional Development Fund the centre CEPLANT was equipped with the following top devices for comprehensive surface analysis and plasma diagnostics and also laboratory and commercial plasma generators:
Plasma sources
- DCSBD plasma reactor with robotic arm for small rigid samples
- DCSBD plasma reactor for A4-size rigid samples
- DCSBD plasma reactor for flexible samples
- Large area Roll-to-Roll machine for surface treatments
- Industrial Corona System for treating roll material Ahlbrandt
- Atmospheric plasma beam and glide arc for surface treatment of planar and 3D objects (Diener Electronic GmbH Co.)
- Plasma multijet system (patent EP 2009029)
- Plasma pencil (patent: EP 1077021 and patent: US 6, 525, 481)
Optical characterization and plasma diagnostics
- Optical Spectrometers FHR 1000 (Horiba, France), Shamrock (Andor, England)
- Portable Spectrometers AvaSpec-ULS-TEC (Avantes, NL)
- Laser Induced Fluorescence – LIF (pulsed (8 ns) tunable (200 nm - near IR) dye laser pumped with Nd:YAG laser)
- Low-pressure Diagnostics Reactor for Capacitive Discharges (0.1 Pa - 1 kPa)
- ns-Resolved Intensified Camera Princeton Instruments intensified CCD Camera PI-MAX3
- TCSPC - Time-correlated single photon counting Becker & Hickl Simple-Tau 152
- Spectral FTIR elipsometer IR-VASE, range 1700-33000nm, J.A.Woollam Co.
- Spectrofotometer Lambda 1050 UV/VIS/NIR, PerkinElmer
- Scanning elipsometr (phased modulated) UVISEL VUV, sp. range 146-2100nm, Horiba Jobin Yvon
Thin film deposition
- Magnetron Sputtering System, Vinci Technologies, France
- Vacuum Coating Equipment
- Dip coater 5 STD IDlab s.r.o.
- Spin coater WS-650Mz-23NPP Laurell Technologies Corporation
- Printer for deposition of conductive traces GO23 PBT Rožnov pod Radhoštěm
Surface analysis
- Scanning Electron Microscope – SEM MIRA3 made by Tescan, Brno (Schottky Field Emission electron gun, SE (Secondary electrons) and BSE (Back-scattered electrons) detectors. Maximal resolution: 1 nm by 30kV)
- X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy – XPS ESCALAB 250Xi (Thermo Scientific, UK)
- Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry – SIMS SurfaceSeer –I
- Atomic force microscope Ntegra Prima NT-MDT
- Matrix-assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization – MALDI AXIMA Resonance
- Nanoindenter Hysitron TI 950 TriboIndenter
- Raman microspectrometer HORIBA LabRAM HR Evolution (measurement scale of 10 – 2200 cm-1)
- X-Ray Difractometer SmartLab Type F Rigaku
- Dynamic Contact Angle System DSA 30 (Krűss, Germany)
- Confocal Laser Microscopy – CLM LEXT OLS4000 3D Laser Measuring Microscope Olympus
- 3D profilometer Bruker DektakXT
- Scratch tester REVETEST Xpress plus CRM Instruments REVETEST Xpress plus CRM Instruments
- Tear machine Shimadzu AGS-5knX
- Equipment Link
- CEPLANT - infrastructure
Services
The centre CEPLANT offers the services and products relating to the following activities:
1. Plasma treatment
The researchers from the CEPLANT centre are especially dealing with a surface treatment of plane and flexible materials by the nonisothermal atmospheric pressure plasma generated mostly by the so called Diffuse Coplanar Surface Barrier Discharge (DCSBD) that is also protected by the patent. The surface treatments can be carried out in an ambient air or to gain the required surface properties also in other gases, such as oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide etc.
• plasma surface treatment of plane and flexible materials (textiles, foils, polymers, glass, rubber, metals, etc.)
• construction of “turnkey” plasma sources
• comparative studies of a various plasmas influence on the surface properties
2. Thin film deposition
The CEPLANT research team is also focused on the investigation and development of plasma assisted thin film deposition techniques. This research includes understanding of deposition process fundamentals and deposition modelling, as well as development of robust monitoring and control algorithms for reliable industrial scale thin film deposition of films and coatings with desired properties for demanded applications.
• deposition of functional thin films by plasma multijet system
• chemical synthesis and modifications of liquids
• preparation of wide range of thin films (metals, oxides, nitrides, ceramics) on different substrate types by PVD, PECVD and hybrid PVD-PECVD techniques
• research and development of new materials
• up-scaling of deposition techniques
• consultations and research on demand
3. Surface analysis
The CEPLANT research centre is equipped with wide range of modern apparatus for chemical and physical surface analysis of diverse materials. The equipment enables performing of complex investigatiosn of plasma influence on the surface characteristics.
• surface morphology analysis
• qualitative and quantitative analysis of the material chemical composition
• planar and depth analysis of the chemical composition
• chemical bond analysis on surface or in depth (up to hundreds of nanometres)
• microstructural analysis of crystalline samples on the form of films or powders
• 3D sample imaging
• surface mechanical properties measurement
• thin film optical properties measurement
• simulations and modelling of materials
- Services Link
- CEPLANT - service