Thin film deposition technologies are of paramount importance in today’s fast growing industrial world of microelectronics, optics and space technologies. Thin films allow the physical, chemical, electric, magnetic, mechanical properties, and surface morphology of materials to be modified without altering the composition and microstructure of the bulk material.

Plasma etching is the process of cleaning or removing material from a substrate surface utilising plasma process. It can be conceptualised as a two- step procedure: 1) chemically reactive species are borne through the interaction between a feed gas and the plasma, 2) the interaction of these reactive species with the substrate and removal of material from the surface.

Plasma thrusters fall into the category of electric thrusters, and use electric or magnetic fields to accelerate the propellant. They are used as orbital boosters or can be used as main propelling engine in deep space maneuvers.

Radio frequency (RF) generators are key component in semiconductor manufacturing units and therefore it is important to have a reliable methodology for monitoring and controlling RF power levels while at the same time not incurring losses in the transmission line and load.

Low pressure plasmas have found numerous applications in material processing and manufacturing semiconductor industries. The advantages of these plasmas are well known as they produce high density of reactive species advantageous for fast etch/deposition rates while maintaining the gas at near room temperature.

The plasma generation environment depends on the application requirements and pressure ranges. This has led to the development of various kinds of plasma sources. The three most common plasma generation methods are via constant electric fields (DC), alternating electric fields (RF) and electromagnetic fields (GHz).

Synthesis of novel materials such as transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) and diamond like coatings (DLCs) is the key project of any fabrication lab in today’s semiconductor industry. However, the most efforts in development are still made using lab scale systems and transferring them to larger scale often is a challenging task.