Technical Symposium PP
Symposium PP focuses on plasma vapor deposition technologies, which are central to thin film synthesis and surface engineering. The symposia covers the development and enhancement of established technologies, and novel concepts, as well as advances in diagnostics and fundamental understanding of deposition processes.
PP1. PVD Coating Technologies
This session solicits contributions related to the development of new PVD methods and the advancement of industrially applied technologies. Sputtering, cathodic arc, anodic arc, laser, and electron beam-based methods and their combinations are considered in particular. The session welcomes contributions incorporating topics such as in-situ measurements, plasma transport in electromagnetic fields, and computer-aided process development. Potential application areas include deposition technologies in use for wear-protective coatings for components and tools, low-friction thin films, high-temperature wear-, erosion-, and corrosion-resistant coatings, optical layers, biomaterials, decorative coatings, and materials for energy applications.
PP1. Invited Speakers:
- Andre Anders, Leibniz Inst. of Surface Eng. (IOM), Germany, “Discharges Modes Relevant to Plasma-Based Coatings: an Analysis of Their Physics and Economics”
- Suneel Kodambaka, Virginia Tech, “Use of van der Waals Layers and Ultrahigh Vacuum Environment to Control Composition and Crystallinity in Sputter-Deposited Thin Films”
- Jianliang Lin, Southwest Research Institute, USA, “Plasma Enhanced Magnetron Sputtering and Its Applications in Industry”
PP2. HiPIMS, Pulsed Plasmas, and Energetic Deposition
The energy carried to the thin film during deposition is crucial in reducing the growth temperature and improving the properties of thin film materials. Higher plasma density leads to enhanced ionization of the film precursors and offers better deposition process control. This results in improved coating characteristics, valuable for e.g., optical, wear-resistant, or photovoltaic applications. This session solicits contributions from academia as well as industry and covers both the physics and the applications of energetic deposition. Topics of interest include but are not limited to plasma generation and discharge physics, model-driven process understanding, reactive processes and process control, mechanisms of film growth, surface and interface engineering, industrial applications and production, upscaling and associated equipment.
PP2. Invited Speakers:
- Tomas Kubart, Uppsala University, Sweden, “Strategies for Low-Temperature Reactive Deposition of Crystalline TiO2 Thin Films”
- Sebastian Siol, EMPA – Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Switzerland, “Metal-Ion Synchronized HiPIMS of AlN and AlScN for Piezoelectric Applications”
PP3. CVD Coating Technologies
This session solicits experts in thin films deposition techniques, involving chemical vapor deposition, for the growth of protective coatings and multifunctional, smart, or hard materials. This session will address (1) various techniques including Atmospheric Pressure CVD, LPCVD, MOCVD, ALD, HVPE, Pulsed CVD, and their plasma-assisted counterparts, PECVD and PEALD; (2) novel molecular CVD precursors or original delivery systems for low vapor pressure/difficult precursors (DLI, pressure pulse, direct halogenation) ; (3) properties of materials and structures grown by these deposition techniques; and (4) CVD modeling techniques from molecular to equipment scale.
PP3 Invited Speakers:
- Francois Reniers, Université libre de Bruxelles, Belgium, “New Perspectives of Atmospheric Pressure Dielectric Barrier Discharges for the Deposition of Thin Films: Uncontrolled Amorphous Plasma-Polymer Layers to Chemically Patterned and Crystalline (In)Organic Coatings”
- Susumu Takabayashi, National Institute of Technology, Ariake College, Japan, “Area-selective Deposition of DLC Using Optoelectronic-controlled Plasma CVD Method
PP4. Deposition Technologies for Carbon-based Coatings
This session solicits contributions that address the application of the carbon-based coatings industry. We want to span the whole range from applications for DLC or ta-C on engineering components as well as coatings employed in devices and displays or electrochemical applications like fuel cells and electrolytic applications. Deposition technologies include plasma-based methods CVD, PVD, and their combination, arc, ion-beam, and laser-assisted deposition and HIPIMS as well as dip coating, sol-gel, and other transfer techniques. This session includes fundamentals and the development of interfaces between substrate and DLC to improve adhesion, supporting layers, and hybrids with hard coatings, industrial practices, scalability, and cost estimates.
PP4 Invited Speakers:
- Jens Emmerlich, Robert Bosch Manufacturing Solutions GmbH, Germany, “DLC-Coating Against the Backdrop of High Economic Requirements”
- Kwang-Ryeol Lee, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Republic of Korea, “Molecular Dynamics Study on the Interfacial Phenomena of Diamond-like Carbon Thin Film”
PP5. Plasma Surface Interactions and Diagnostics
Plasma processes are at the heart of inventive deposition strategies for innovative coating materials, nanostructures with enhanced properties and surface functionalization to improve surface adhesion properties of the materials. Plasma is widely used from vacuum to atmospheric pressures in the production of semiconductors, material treatment, plasma processing, reforming processes, plasma medicine, agriculture, catalysis and aerospace engineering. Diagnostics based on plasma composition and in surface characterization are essential to understand the physical properties of the coatings and mechanisms of the plasma growth processes and plasma-surface interaction. The objective of this session is to show how such correlations could establish processing-structure-property relationships and improve the design of materials. This session is focused on talks featuring new plasma diagnostic techniques, characterization of plasmas in novel processes, plasma treatment surface characterization, correlation of intrinsic plasma properties to the structure and composition of materials and deployment of modeling and artificial intelligence/machine learning/big data methods to reveal the mechanisms of plasma generation, film growth, plasma surface modification and process quality assurance.
PP5 Invited Speakers:
- Scott Walton, Naval Research Laboratory, USA, “The Role of Plasma in Plasma Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition”
PP6. Microfabrication Techniques with Lasers and Plasmas
Laser and plasma sources provide tunable fluxes of photons, electrons, ions, and radicals available for microscale-controlled film deposition, surface etching/texturing, and functionalization. The scope of this session encompasses laser/plasma processes aimed at chemical modification for catalytic substrates and surface engineering to fabricate biomaterials and microelectronic devices. Here, strategies to synthesize nanostructured interfaces enabling few-atom catalysts, organic tissues, and electronic heterostructures, like laser microtexturing and plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition, will be discussed. This session thereby welcomes contributions on laser and plasma techniques to generate functional interfaces in the domains of atoms, polymer chains, cells, microchips, and entire tissues, with experimental and modeling approaches.
PP6 Invited Speakers:
- Douglas B. Chrisey, Tulane University, “Laser Direct Write as a Testing Platform for CAD/CAM Autologous Organoids”
- Uros Cvelbar, Jozef Stefan Institute, Slovenia, “Plasma-Enabled Hybrid Graphene-Based Coatings for Energy Storage”
- Dirk Hegemann, EMPA, Switzerland, “Plasma Polymerization Processes”
PP 7. Modeling and Data-Driven Methods for Process Design, Analysis and Control
This session will focus on digital methods to understand and control thin film deposition processes, encompassing topics such as simulations, small and large-scale data analysis, in-situ process feedback control, and real-time optimization. Additionally, we specifically encourage contributions on novel approaches, such as applying machine learning to any of the aforementioned methods. Models ranging from particle-in-cell (PIC) to fluid dynamics play a vital role in predicting film and coating properties and optimizing manufacturing processes. Furthermore, the utilization of advanced data-processing techniques, based on traditional algorithms or machine learning, can enhance the interpretation and utilization of simulation results, as well as process logs and metrology data. The session scope also includes related data infrastructure, which ties together all these aspects in information systems for tracking data in R&D and production facilities. We highly encourage abstracts that address topics such as process optimization, scale-up challenges, quality control, and the integration of digital tools into existing production workflows. Join us to explore the frontiers of simulation techniques, data-processing methods, and digitalization strategies, as we collectively propel the field of thin films towards enhanced performance, efficiency, and innovation.
PP7 Invited Speakers:
- Ton Hurkmans, IHI Ionbond Netherlands B.V., Netherlands, “Digitalization Finds Its Way Into PVD Coating Facilities”
- Jan Trieschmann, Kiel University, Germany, ” Insights on Plasma Processing from Multi-Scale Physical and Data-Driven Modeling”