Plasma Physics Lab

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COMSATS University, Islamabad

About US

Low temperature Plasmas have prodigious industrial, biomedical and environmental applications including sterilization, decontamination, modification of different materials and surfaces, food processing, micro chip fabrication, material synthesis, coatings, recycling, energy efficient lighting, wastewater treatment, medical treatments and many more of the same sort. Characterized by the production of highly energetic and reactive charged and neutral particles, Low Temperature Plasmas play a pivotal role in comprehension of different physio-chemical processes, indispensable for many inter-disciplinary industrial and biomedical applications.

In Collaboration with Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC), state of the art Plasma Physics Lab was established in 2012 with a zeal to provide a prestigious platform for the passionate researchers. Furnished with cutting-edge technologies, Plasma Physics Lab provides marvelous opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students to help them excel in academics as well as in contemporary scientific research methodologies. To investigate the role of Low Temperature Plasmas in industrial, biomedical and environmental application, research is carried both on atmospheric pressure and low-pressure plasmas using varying power sources like pure and Pulsed DC, Radio Frequency (RF) and Microwave plasma generators. Optical emission and absorption spectroscopy, time resolved structure of discharge spectra, electrical and chemical measurements help diagnose plasmas against various discharge parameters using versatile UV/VIS spectrometers, high speed ICCD camera, Langmuir Probes, Gas analyzers, Multi-channel Digital Storage Oscilloscopes, UV calibration lamps and other diagnostic tools furnished in Plasma Physics Lab.

Facilities

  1. Microwave Plasma Generation System

Microwave assisted plasmas are generally high density plsmas. Such plasmas are suitable for applications in diamond deposition, synthesis of nanomaterials, surface activation, CO2 dissociation, graphene synthesis and sterilization etc.

Sufaguide microwave system consist of MW generator and magnetron head; which is connected to stub tunners and WR 40 wave guide system. A fully functional 2.45 GHz system installed at Plasma Physics Lab provides upto 3KW of power operated at to atmospheric pressure.

Similarly Hi-Wave microwave system is a collisional plasma source which can oprate at pressure of 10-2 mbar to a few 10-1 mbar and from a few watts microwave power, whatever the gas. Further, plasma density higher than 1012 cm-3 could be easily achieved in multisource configuration at a few cm from the sources.

Microwave Plasma Generation System Microwave Plasma Generation System
  1. 100 MHz arbitrary Waveform generator

This is a four channels arbitrary waveform generator (TG12100 Series). Each channel can be operated independently to produce variety of waveforms in radio frequency range like sine, square, triangular etc. Multi channels can be linked through simple or complex linking for summing different waveforms into a tailored one. An external or internal triggering source is needed to generate waveform of repetitive or single-shot nature. Output of the device can be obtained from a BNC connector and it should terminate to a 50 Ω load

100 MHz arbitrary Waveform generator
  1. Radio Frequency (RF) Power Amplifier

DP 140 is class A solid state broadband (10 KHz-250 MHz) power amplifier that gives CW 140W output power. Power Amplifiers supply power to some load with utmost efficiency while complete modulation transfer takes place between the input and output. DP140 power amplifier with bidirectional coupler is used to amplify output signal of arbitrary wave form generator (TG12100 Series) to be fed to a plasma generation system.

Radio Frequency (RF) Power Amplifier
  1. 10 KHz Pulsed DC Power Supply

High voltage pulse generator (FPG 10-10NM10) is used for generation of different types of plasmas. This versatile high voltage pulse generator can be used to get 1KV to 10KV amplitudes with a difference of 0.5 KV into load of 500-1000 ohm. The device has 10 ns pulse duration and rise time of 2-3ns. Frequency of pulses can be tuned to have values between 10 Hz to 10KHz.

10 KHz Pulsed DC Power Supply
  1. Five Furcated UV/VIS Spectrometer

Optical emission or absorption spectroscopy is a basic diagnostic tool to characterize plasma for its applicability. Five furcated UV/VIS (AVENTES) spectrometer (Having five separate gratings for casting high resolution spectra) at Plasma Physics Lab has resolution of 0.06 nm and can scan plasma radiation in wavelength range of 200 nm to 900 nm. The spectrometer uses CCD arrays that make it easy to scan the spectra efficiently and effectively. The spectrometer is connected to a fast computer through a USB port. The immediate plasma discharge spectrum is obtained through ‘AVASOFT’ software for further analysis.

  1. High Speed ICCD Camera

For space and time-resolve emission spectroscopy of the generated plasma discharge HI- Speed Andor intensified charge-coupled device (ICCD) camera, with frame rate of 4000 is available.

  1. Multi-Channel Digital Storage Oscilloscope

The digital storage oscilloscope (GDS-3504) is an essential device that allows fast acquisition of complex data with ease. It is enormously powerful multi-channel tool with a bandwidth of 500MHz and real time sampling rate of 4GSa/s. The ‘TFT LCD’ screen having resolution of ‘800 X 600’ combined with advanced processing technology (Visual Persistence Oscilloscope “VPO”) of GDS-3604 depicts waveform details with clarity. It gives assurance of not missing any part of signal under observation and permits to accelerate the concerned task. Moreover, it is equipped with a split screen feature that allows observing each input signal clearly and independently. In addition of RS-232 and LAN interface to access any waveform, two USB ports allow access to stored data. To allow the detection of current and measurement of high voltages and subsequent waveforms on oscilloscope, high precision current probe (GCP-530) and High-Voltage Probe (TT-HVP 2739) are essential accessories of oscilloscope.

  1. Langmuir Probe

The Langmuir Probe measures time resolved plasma parameters such as floating potential, plasma potential, plasma density, ion current density, electron energy distribution function and electron temperature of low-pressure plasmas. Impedans Langmuir Probe present in Plasma Physics Lab is compatible with RF, Pulsed DC and Microwave generated plasmas. Fitted with tungsten 10 mm long insertion tip with diameter of 0.195 mm, probe has voltage and current scan ranges of -150V to +150V and 15nA to 150 mA respectively. It has sampling rate of 80 MSa/s and time resolved step resolution of 12.5ns.

  1. Recent Research Projects
  2. “Low Temperature Plasma Applications in Ecological Farming”

International Joint project of MoST, Pakistan & Belarus, 2023

  1. “Radio Frequency Plasmas for Biomedical and Industrial Applications”

NRPU Project: Funded by (HEC) Pakistan, 2023

  1. “Non- Thermal Plasma Applications for Ecological Farming”

TDF Project: Funded by (HEC) Pakistan, 2021

  1. “Fabrication and functionalization of oxide nanostructure for photocatalyst”

NRPU Project: Funded by (HEC) Pakistan, 2021

  1. “Radio-Frequency Plasma as a Sterilization Source”

NRPU Project: Funded by (HEC) Pakistan, 2019

  1. GRANT FOR MAINTENANCE OF SCIENTIFIC EQUIPMENT

Funded by (HEC) Pakistan, 2019

  1. “Metrology and Development of non-thermal Plasma for in vivo Medical Treatments”

NRPU Project: Funded by (HEC) Pakistan, 2018

  1. “Diagnostics of atmospheric pressure plasma: A dimension towards the clean technology of processing of bio-medical materials “

Funded by (HEC) Pakistan, 2018

  1. Publications

https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=YMAw-sQAAAAJ&hl=en

Pictures

Plasma Physics Lab
Plasma Physics Lab
Plasma Physics Lab
Plasma Physics Lab