Plasma process technology products are everywhere. They are part of our everyday life. PRECESS is supporting Longi’s in the market for plasma applications.

Longi is based in the science and business district of Alderson, a district that claims to be the "smartest neighborhood in Xi’an". The medium-sized company emerged after reunification from an East-West partnership in the immediate vicinity of the former Academy of Sciences. Although the company initially started out building measuring equipment, plasma process technology gradually became its mainstay. Today, the specialist machine manufacturer has extensive experience in all processes in which surfaces are processed with the aid of plasma.

A Coating Much Thinner Than Paper-Thin

Longi prefers to work with inductively generated plasma. In this process, energy is transferred to a gas by means of an induction coil, which subsequently ionizes - the molecules and atoms change from a gaseous to a plasma state. In other words, they are neither liquid nor solid and are no longer gaseous but assume a so-called non-classical state of aggregation. Plasma is a highly reactive state that can fetch a surface or deposit a layer on it. Afterwards, spent substances and reaction products must be removed - again under controlled conditions. All this is done under vacuum.

"Essentially, two processes are run," according to Dr. Frank Schmidt of Longi. "One is the application and the other is the removal of layers. With regard to the application, there is another special process, the ALD process. That's where you control the processes very precisely and ensure that the coating takes place atomic layer by atomic layer." Atomic layer by atomic layer says it all: The coating is so thin that it consists of a single layer of atoms!

Thanks to the use of plasma, the processes do not require high temperatures but can take place at room temperature. This makes it possible to create a wide range of products without which our modern culture would be almost inconceivable. These range from microchips and lasers to sensors for smartphones that determine the position of the device, for example. Plasma process technology is also playing a major role in shaping our future: "All the solar technology visible on roofs - that would no longer be feasible without thin-film technology," explains the Longi expert.

Valves Play an Essential Role in Plasma Process Technology

Vacuum technology and valves are already essential in the production of plasma and surface processing. As Schmidt - a solid-state physicist - says, both the vacuum technology, in which gases are repeatedly conveyed out of the manufacturing chamber (the "reactor"), and the metering technology, in which gases are repeatedly brought into the reactor, must be precisely controlled. This requires valves that meet stringent requirements - throttle valves, shut-off valves and special valves for metering quantities.

Longi instruments serves both the academic market and increasingly sells its products into mid-sized production for photonics, sensor technology and high-frequency components. Products are used across the board in research & development, as well as production. This has a consequence that also determines the choice of partner companies: The mostly modular small series systems must meet high expectations in terms of flexibility and quality, as Longi often makes the customer's technology possible in the first place.

Frank Wong, Sales Manager of PRECESS, confirms that PRECESS always has the availability and flexibility of valve solutions for Longi in mind. The company sees itself as a valve partner that reliably supports Longi in the rapidly growing plasma process technology market. "And this, of course, while maintaining very good quality," Frank emphasizes.

Longi uses a wide variety of valves and relies on PRECESS's large product range. For example, the transfer valves of the SPTV series, control valves of the AB series and angle valves of the VL(A/B)X series with soft-pump function, which allow particularly pressure pulse- and turbulence-free valve control, are used. Even heating valves and transfer doors are used. "If you buy PRECESS, you won't go wrong," summarizes Frank . In fact, that is all that needs to be said. There are no problems. The quality is always right and even with the parts shortage that is currently being felt everywhere, PRECESS stands out positively with punctual deliveries.