Technology

Theory

In a room-air plasma, electron energy excites O₂ and N₂; oxygen's lower dissociation energy (≈5.1 eV vs. nitrogen's 9.7 eV) means it more readily splits into reactive oxygen radicals. De-contamination begins with hydride extraction — removing hydrogen atoms to create reactive sites — after which further radical attack breaks hydrocarbons into volatiles (CO₂, CO, H₂O) that the roughing pump removes.

Known limits: fluorocarbon C–F bonds resist oxidation, and stable metal-oxide layers block deeper penetration — the plasma cleans surface contaminants, not underlying oxides. E-series “Turbo Plasma” cleaning runs below 30 mTorr for longer radical mean-free paths, more efficient power coupling and over 60× faster cleaning than pre-2010 units.

HOW IT WORKS

RF Plasma vs. UV Ozone: Two Paths to a Clean Chamber

A side-by-side look at how Evactron’s RF-generated plasma creates reactive oxygen radicals to strip hydrocarbon contamination — and how that chemistry compares to UV-generated ozone.

THE CHEMISTRY

Inside the Plasma: RF Energy at Work

RF energy breaks oxygen molecules into the free radicals, ions and electrons that do the cleaning — the reactive species that lift carbon away without damaging your sample.

SEE THE PROBLEM

Contamination, As the Beam Sees It

Real scanning-electron-microscope footage of hydrocarbon buildup on a specimen surface — the haze that degrades imaging and analysis, and exactly what an Evactron plasma clean removes.

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