Glossary of surface technology
Plasma
A plasma is a gas which has been excited in such a way that electrons have been broken off the atom or molecule bond. This means that plasma consists of the positive ions of the gas and the freely moving electrons. The ions are highly reactive because they look for a new bonding partner to make up for the lost electron. This high reactivity can be used for a variety of technical processes. Irving Langmuir in 1928 first used the Greek work for “mouldable substance”. For many interesting details on plasma, go to: “Introduction to plasma”