US2004069654A1PendingUtilityA1

Method for chlorine plasma modification of silver electrodes

37
Priority: Oct 27, 2000Filed: Oct 29, 2001Published: Apr 15, 2004
Est. expiryOct 27, 2020(expired)· nominal 20-yr term from priority
Inventors:James Andrew MclaughlinPaul MaguireEric T. Mcadams
C23C 14/58C23C 14/025C23C 14/5826G01N 27/301C23C 14/5846C23C 14/18C23C 8/36C23C 8/02G01N 27/30
37
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Claims

Abstract

A method for the modification of a surface of a silver electrode wherein the surface is treated with a chlorine plasma is described. Control of the power, flux density and timing provide the manner to modify the silver surface, and so implant the chlorine atoms and ions into the silver. The present invention provides a method to produce thin-film silver electrodes with a very controlled surface. Such electrodes can provide quantitative quality of measurement. The present invention extends to a method for the modification of a surface of any metal wherein the surface is treated with a plasma.

Claims

exact text as granted — not AI-modified
1 . A method for the modification of a surface of a silver electrode wherein the surface is treated with a chlorine plasma.  
     
     
         2 . A method as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the silver electrode is in the form of a silver thin-film.  
     
     
         3 . A method as claimed in  claim 2  wherein the electrode is fabricated by an evaporation of silver onto a glass plate.  
     
     
         4 . A method as claimed in  claim 3  wherein the glass plate is coated with a thin metallic sub-layer prior to the addition of silver.  
     
     
         5 . A method as claimed in  claim 4  wherein the sub-layer is a chromium or nichrome.  
     
     
         6 . A method as claimed in  claim 5  wherein the sub-layer is coated on the glass plate using a sputtering system.  
     
     
         7 . A method for the modification of a surface of a metal wherein the surface is treated with a plasma.  
     
     
         8 . A method as claimed in  claim 7  wherein the plasma is formed from a reactive gas.  
     
     
         9 . A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the method is carried out in a plasma chamber.  
     
     
         10 . A method as claimed in  claim 9  wherein the plasma chamber is a reaction ion etching radio-frequency plasma chamber.  
     
     
         11 . A method as claimed in  claim 9  or  claim 10  wherein the plasma chamber is pumped down prior to modification of the silver electrode or metal surface.  
     
     
         12 . A method as claimed in  claim 11  wherein the operating pressure in the plasma chamber is within the range 1 to 100 mTorr.  
     
     
         13 . A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the operating power is in the range of 5 to 500 Watts (per cm 2 ).  
     
     
         14 . A method as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims wherein the operating flux density method is within the range 1 to 50 sccms of gas.  
     
     
         15 . A method as claimed in  claim 14  wherein the gas is chlorine.  
     
     
         16 . A method as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims wherein the operating time is within the range 1 ms to 5 seconds plasma time.  
     
     
         17 . A silver electrode whenever obtainable by a method as claimed in any one of  claims 1  to  16 .  
     
     
         18 . A modified metal surface whenever obtainable by a method as claimed in any one of  claims 7  to  16 .  
     
     
         19 . A silver electrode having a silver chloride surface layer provided by plasma modification.  
     
     
         20 . A metal surface having a plasma modified surface.

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