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GLADNET a European Project
GLADNET, Analytical Glow Discharge Network,
is a group of 16 partners working in the field of glow-discharges
as tool for elemental and molecular analysis, both for solid bulk
materials and content depth profiling. GLADNET has asked for financial
support from the European Community within the Marie Curie Actions
for Human Resources and Mobility Activity of the 6th framework.
The consortium, coordinated by EMPA Thun, Switzerland, is currently
in the negotiation phase with to EU Commission to finalise the contract.
The consortium includes 16 major academic, R&D and industrial
players from twelve countries: eight EU countries and four countries
linked to the EU through different agreements. The partner include
four Physics and four Chemistry groups. Three groups are specialised
in Materials Science. Several partners also have specific expertise
in developing modelling software. The industrial partners include
analytical laboratories from large companies as well as companies
developing and manufacturing GD-MS and GD-OES equipment.
The major objective of GLADNET is to train a fresh generation of
research personnel in Glow Discharge Spectroscopy technologies,
in a European context bringing them to world-class level.
Gladnet aims to:
- Implement collaborative research projects to train a new
generation of scientists and to make future technological
and scientific break through. These projects will be carried out
both in the academic and industrial research facilities;
- Provide an interdisciplinary training delivered by the
leading experts from university, institutes and industry.
- Create a common basis for technology transfer from academic
to industrial research leading to innovative knowledge-based
developments.
- Provide the European industry with skilled researchers and new
knowledge in the field of rapid, accurate methods for the
analysis of solids , essential for the achievement and maintenance
of high quality in existing manufacturing processes and for the
development of new materials and surface coatings. In today's
Europe the overall analysis costs in Europe amount to approximately
4% of the Gross Domestic Products (GDP).The industrial sectors
interested in GD are of crucial importance for Europe .They include
life sciences (biocompatibility of medical implants etc.), nano-technology
(composition of very thin layers etc.) and thin films, but also
more traditional sectors such as car manufacturing, steel and
aluminium production are concerned by the GD-technology.
The partners of GLADNET already have a long tradition of successful
collaboration. A number of them have been involved in an earlier
thematic Network on Glow Discharge organised within the 4th
framework of the European Commission. 3 groups are currently linked
by another, related but distinct, European research project on Elemental
and Molecular Depth Profile Analysis EMDPA, using GD-ToFMS.
INTRODUCTION to GLADNET PARTICIPANTS
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research institutes
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EMPA, Swiss Federal Institute for Material Science
and Technology, Thun
EMPA is the Swiss national testing laboratory
and its research and development are aimed at the economical
and ecological improvements in the use of materials as well
as creation of new test methods and test equipments. EMPA
is an incubator of high tech. SMEs such as TOFWERK. EMPA
has gained a large experience in coupling a GD source to
a TOF instrument through a national project highlighting
the importance of the approach.
EMPA is coordinator of GLADNET
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Switzerland
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IFW, Leibniz-Institut für Festkörper-
und Werkstoffforschung Dresden e.V.
The most essential work on GDS at IFW has
been done in the fields of development of free running RF
generator hardware for GDS including the technique for the
measurement of the current and voltage near the discharge;
evaluation of the components of the electrical equivalent
circuit from the measured discharge current and voltage
and spatial distribution of emission intensity in GD-OES;
A special fast flow source based on the original Grimm design
has been developed for GD-MS Further work recently performed
in the institute includes the characterisation of µs
and ms pulsed dc glow discharge describing their concerning
temporal and spatial intensity behaviour.
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Germany
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RISSP, Research Institute for Solid State Physics
and Optics, Budapest
At RISSP the research is focused on three
major topics: development of metal-ion lasers, discharge
modelling and diagnostic methods to investigate low-temperature
plasmas. Development of metal-ion lasers. The excitation
mechanism of these lasers is usually based on charge transfer
processes between noble gas ions and metal atoms. These
reactions will be studies in the context of low pressure
glow discharges. An important part of the work performed
at RISSP will the determination of basic plasma parameters,
a necessary base information for any understanding and modelling
of the on going processes.
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Hungary
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KIMAB, Korrosions- och Metallforskningsinstitutet
AB, Stockholm
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Sweden
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Corrosion and Metals Research Institute (KIMAB) develops
and improves metallic materials and processes for the production
of materials and studies the behaviour of new materials
in production engineering and in mechanical structures.
The department for Materials Analysis (MA) carries out R&D
and contract work in the field of chemical and surface analysis,
mainly with optical emission and mass spectrometric techniques.
The most important instruments used are Glow Discharge Optical
Emission (GD-OES), Laser Ablation Optical Emission (LIBS)
and ICP Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICPMS). In addition, classical
wet chemical techniques are used and developed primarily
for standardisation and certification of Certified Reference
Materials.
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higher education
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ICSTM Imperial College of Science
Technology and Medicine, London, Physics Dept
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UK
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The Fourier Transform (FT) Spectroscopy
Laboratory in the Physics Department at Imperial College
has an established international reputation in the field
of high resolution atomic and molecular spectroscopy.
The technique combines high resolution with the capability
of wide free spectral range, ideal for a wide variety
of applications; we hold the world short wavelength record
for an FT instrument with a wavelength range of 135nm
-900 nm, with a resolving power of 2 x 106 at 140nm, so
that usually true line profiles can be observed.. The
group has been primarily focussed on the measurement and
analysis of atomic and molecular spectra for astrophysics
and atomic physics applications. |
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ULMET, London Metropolitan University, DCCTM
The laboratory at London Metropolitan University
has expertise in: Atomic and molecular spectroscopy in the
ultra-violet, visible and near infra-red regions, with particular
reference to discharges in gases at low pressure, frequently
for analytical applications. Three types of low pressure
sources - hollow cathode discharges, microwave excited discharges
and Grimm-type sources - have been studied to interpret
the fundamental discharges processes occurring. Recently
studies have been concentrated on asymmetric charge transfer
(ACT) excitation by ions of the noble gases.
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UK
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UA, University of Antwerp, Chemistry Dept
The research group PLASMANT (i.e.,
Plasma, Laser Ablation and Surface Modelling - Antwerp)
has more than 10 years of experience in numerical simulations
of glow discharges and related plasmas The purpose of this
work is to gain more insight in the plasma physics and chemistry,
and to make predictions, in order to improve the performance
of these gas discharges in the various applications The
computer simulations are mostly based on fluid models, particle-in-cell
- Monte Carlo simulations, or combinations which are commonly
called hybrid codes.
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Belgium
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UniOvi, University of Oviedo, Chemistry Dept.
The Chemistry department has several lines
of work around glow discharges and has a largeexpertise
in the development of analytical tools for the analysis
of solids. GDs are coupled to optical emission and time
of flight mass spectrometry: In the laboratory GD-ToFMS
analyser for the analysis of coatings as been developed
(Patent number: P200101609) along with analytical methods
for the analysis of advanced materials of technological
and industrial interest. Both DC and RF sources in pulsed
and cw mode are used. The group has taken part in several
national and European projects of for the development of
new glow discharges sources for mass and optical emission
spectrometry.
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Spain
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CRI-SPSU, St. Petersburg State University, Chemistry,
Dept.
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Russia
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At the CRI-SPSU the area of research includes:
pulsed GD investigation as atomiser for Zeeman atomic
absorption spectrometry including the design of mobile
systems for determination of elements in air and water
samples in situ; The pulsed GD in thin-walled metallic
hollow cathode (TMHC) in combination with TOFMS for liquid
samples analysis. Last system use for analysis as conductive
as dielectric samples, besides depth profiling available
in this case. Small group works in the area of fast determination
of elements concentration in ambient air and exhaled air
with aid of electrostatic precipitation in Zeeman AAS.
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FoPB, University of Belgrade, Faculty of Physics
The main interest in our research are elementary
processes in various parts of discharge and the interaction
of heavy particles with cathode surface in order to study
physical and chemical processes at the surface. For this
purpose Stark polarization and Doppler spectroscopy are
used. In addition, the application and improvements of optical
emission spectroscopy (OES) techniques for gas discharge
diagnostics are carried out with the emphasis to determination
of spatial distribution of discharge parameters.
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Serbia
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IU, Indiana University, Chemistry Dept.
There search interests of the Hieftje group
at Indiana univeristy include the investigation of basic
mechanisms in atomic emission, absorption, fluorescence
and mass spectrometric analysis, and the development of
instrumentation and techniques for atomic methods of analysis.
Among other subjects they are working on the use of time-resolved
luminescence processes for analysis, the application of
information theory to analytical chemistry, analytical mass
spectrometry and the use of stochastic processes to extract
basic and kinetic chemical information.
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USA
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industrial partners
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AQura GmbH (Degussa AG), Hanau
AQura GmbH is a service unit 100 % owned
by Degussa AG active mostly for Degussa research and development
groups. Focus of AQura provides analytical services, analytical
research support, method development and validation. A large
part of its activity lies in the fields of analyses: molecular
spectroscopy, surface and interface analyses, physical data,
materials safety data, environmental, computational chemistry.
AQura and its precursor organisations are active in the
above mentioned fields for more than 50 years.
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Germany
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LECO Instrumente Plzen, spol. s r.o.
LECO Corporation is a leading producer of
scientific instrumentation, mostly for chemical analysis
of metals, other inorganic and organic substances. LECO
Instrumente Plzen, spol. s r.o., is a subsidiary of LECO
Corporation responsible for operations in the Central and
Eastern Europe.
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Czech Republic
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Thyssen Krupp Steel AG, Dortmund
Thyssen Krupp Steel is a major integrated
steel producer. Within the centre of excellence, new types
of steels and coatings were developed. The department is
equipped with state-of-the-art technique for the characterisation
of hot rolled steels like photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS),
secondary ion mass spectrometry and Raman spectroscopy.
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Germany
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Shiva Technologies Europe, Toulouse
Shiva Technologies, Inc. was founded in 1990
as the first and only company specialised in Glow Discharge
Mass Spectrometry (GDMS) for the analysis of high purity
metals, targets, specialty alloys, super-alloys, semiconductors,
inorganic materials etc. Shiva Technologies has laboratories
in Europe, USA and India.
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France
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TOFWERK AG, Thun.
Tofwerk AG is a young and fast growing start-up
company specialised in designing and manufacturing customised
time-of-flight mass spectrometers for the global OEM market.
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Switzerland
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top
First published on the web: 01 December 2006
Author: Thomas Nelis
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