Introduction / mission

Our scientific objective is to obtain atomic-level understanding of the interaction of plasmas and reactive gases with materials in the field of atomic scale processing.

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We are unique in our approach to studying plasma and surface processes in situ and in real time with a large set of current and new diagnostics

Organisational profile

We focus on advancing the science and technology of plasma and materials processing, a multidisciplinary research area that encompasses the research fields of plasma physics, surface science and materials science. Our aim is to be an internationally leading group in the field of atomic scale processing, for present-day and future applications in energy technologies, nanoelectronics and nanotechnology.

The group studies the physics of the plasma medium, how reactive species interact with surfaces and how atomic scale processes can be used to fabricate, prepare or modify materials and their surfaces. We do so through our advanced processing facilities, our large set of plasma and surface diagnostics and state-of-the-art material analysis techniques.

The interaction of plasmas and reactive gases with materials plays a key role in many fields in science and technology. Consequently, our research ranges from fundamental plasma studies for CO2 recycling to nanoscale deposition and etch processes for nanoelectronics and technologies for energy conversion and storage technologies. Our application-oriented research is directly relevant for many current developments within society and industry. This is illustrated by our many close industrial collaborations and a significant number of valorization successes in the recent years.

The PMP group has established an internationally leading position in the area of atomic scale processing, particularly in the preparation of nanolayers and nanostructures by means of methods such as  (plasma-based) atomic layer deposition (ALD). Building on this, we explore societally and technologically relevant new fields such as plasma-based approaches for CO2 recycling in renewable fuels, carrier-selective passivating contacts in silicon solar cells, area-selective ALD for semiconductor nanopatterning, nanolayer films to enable novel organo-lead halide perovskite solar cells and plasma-assisted ALD of 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (2D-TMDs). The common denominators between these research lines are the studies of the interaction of plasmas and reactive gases with materials by advanced diagnostics.