Abstract: Direct exposure of samples to the active species of air generated by a One AtmosphereUniform Glow Discharge Plasma (OA UGDP) has been used to etch and to increasethe surface energy of metallic surfaces, photoresist, polymer films, and nonwoven fab-rics. The OAUGDP is a non-thermal plasma with the classical characteristics of aDC normal glow discharge that operates in air (and other gases) at atmospheric pres-sure. Neither a vacuum system nor batch processing is necessary. A wide range ofapplications to metals, photoresist, films, fabrics, and polymeric webs can be accom-modated by direct exposure of the workpiece to the plasma in parallel-plate reactors.This technology is simple, it produces effects that can be obtained in no other way atone atmosphere; it generates minimal pollutants or unwanted by-products; and it issuitable for individual sample or online treatment of metallic surfaces, wafers, films.and fabrics.``Early exposures of solid materials to the OA UGDP required minutes to produce rela-tively small increases of surface energy. These durations appeared too long for com-mercial application to fast-moving webs. Recent improvements in OA UGDP gas com-position, power density, plasma quality, recirculating gas flow, and impedance match-ing of the power supply to the parallel plate plasma reactor have made it possible toraise the surface energy ofa variety of polymeric webs (PP, PET, PE, etc.) to levels of60 to 70 dynes/crn with one second of exposure. In air plasmas, the high surface ener-gies are not durable, and fall to 50 dynes/em after periods of weeks to months. Here.we report the exposure of metallic surfaces, photoresist, polymeric films, and nonwo-ven fabrics made of PP and PET to an impedance matched parallel plate OA UGDPfor durations ranging from one second to several tens of seconds. Data will be re-ported on the surface energy, wettability, wickability, and aging effect of polymericfilms and fabrics as functions of time of exposure, and time after exposure; the rateand uniformity of photoresist etching; and the production of sub-micron structures byOA UGDP etching at one atmosphere.

Key words: atmosphere glow discharge plasma, surface energy, etching of material surface