When Low Temperature Plasmas Meet Surfaces

Low temperature plasmas (LTPs) are virtually always bounded by surfaces. Charged
particles from the plasma recombine and are emitted at walls; plasma species exchange
mass, momentum and energy with walls; the plasma electrostatic potential
is referenced to wall potential; energetic and often chemically reactive charged and
neutral species from the plasma impact surfaces and reflect, embed, diffuse and desorb
back into the plasma; dust particle nuclei may originate at surfaces; and surface
erosion and re‐deposition often dramatically alter plasma neutral composition
and temperature. In this talk, I will present an overview of low temperature
plasma‐surface interactions with an emphasis on what the LTP community has
learned during the last several decades, including some thoughts on new directions
and opportunities. This includes in particular the recent emphasis on LTPbiomedical
applications, which introduces a new set of especially challenging problems
for the understanding and control of plasma‐surface interactions.
David B. Graves joined the University of California at Berkeley
in 1986 after receiving his PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Minnesota.
He is currently Full Professor and Vice‐Chair of the Department of Chemical
and Biomolecular Engineering. He is author or co‐author of over 150 publications.
Prof. Graves is a fellow of the American Vacuum Society and the Institute of Physics
and was the recipient of the Electrochemical Society Young Author Award, the NSF
Presidential Young Investigator Award, the Tegal Plasma Thinker Award, and the
3rd annual Plasma Prize of the Plasma Science and Technology Division of the AVS.