3rd INTERACT travel grant: Starting point for collaboration with a Japanese network in microplasmas

目前正在开发和研究一种新的、令人兴奋的等离子体放电工作方式。这些是存在于微观尺度上的等离子体。这些放电由于尺寸小，可以在高压(200托)下击打，但在低放电电压下可以击打，并且可以采取许多不同的形式，大小从几个100微米到几个微米不等。这些设备的发展为应用领域开辟了新的科学前沿和新技术开发的可能性，包括MEMS、灯技术(EUV、VUV源)、微型化学分析、高速光斑处理(微加工)、高辩证介质(THz波相互作用)和纳米粒子合成等。然而，人们对基础研究和微等离子体开发的兴趣主要来自英国以外。为了解决英国缺乏活动的问题，并促进这一领域的科学发展，我们建议访问日本一个强大而活跃的微等离子体网络，并建立新的合作关系。我们特别感兴趣的是用于材料的等离子体表面化学剪裁的微型等离子体开发领域。这是为了与我们目前的共同研究兴趣相联系。

A new and exciting operating regime for plasma discharges is now being developed and studied. These are plasmas existing on the micro-scale. These discharges, due to their small dimensions, can be struck at high pressure (> 200 Torr) but at low discharge voltages and can take many different forms, varying in size from several 100 microns down to a few microns. The development of these devices has opened up a new scientific front and the possibility for new technological exploitation in application areas including MEMS, lamp technology (EUV, VUV sources), micro-chemical analysis, high-rate spot processing (micro-machining), high dialectic media (THz wave interactions), and nano-particle synthesis to name a few.However, interest into pursuing fundamental research and the exploitation of microplasmas has come largely from outside the UK. To address the lack of UK activity and to stimulate the science in this field, we propose to visit a strong and active microplasma network in Japan and set up new collaborations. We are particularly interested in focusing upon the area of micro-plasma development for plasma surface chemical tailoring of materials. This is designed to link with our current joint research interests.