A SF6 RF plasma reactor for research on textile treatment

This research concerns the development of a SF6 RF discharge at low pressur e in a small reactor for industrial applications. The plasma is produced in the pressure range 0.05-1 mbar by a RF supply. The pumping system sustains a flowrate of about 50 cm s(-1), with residence time in the discharge of a bout 0.2 s at a pressure of 0.1 mbar. The discharge parameters were measure d at a low operation power. Measurements were performed by means of movable electrostatic probes and a photodiode. Particular care in the analysis of the data proved to be necessary due to the presence of a substantial amount of negative ions. The reactor has been employed for textile treatment in o rder to modify the surface properties of the fibres. Favourable operating c onditions leading to an improved hydrophobicity of the textiles were achiev ed.