Abstract
Recently plasma etching research has been focused on the metal surfaces in the nuclear industry. In this study, surface etching reaction of metallic Co and Mo, principal contaminants in the spent nuclear components, in CF$_4$/O$_2$, gas plasma has been experimentally investigated to look into the applicability and the effectiveness of the technique for the surface decontamination. Experimental variables are $CF_4$/$O_2$ ratio and substrate temperature between 29$0^{\circ}C$ and 38$0^{\circ}C$. Experimental results Show that the optimum gas composition is 80%CF$_4$-20%$O_2$ and the metallic Co and Mo are etched out well enough in the temperatures range. Cobalt starts to be etched above $350^{\circ}C$ and the etching rate increases with increasing substrate temperature. Maximum rate achieved at 38$0^{\circ}C$ under 220 W r.f. plasma power is 0.06 $\mu\textrm{m}$/min. On the other hand, the metallic Mo is etched easily even at low temperature and the reaction rate drastically increases as the substrate temperature goes up. Highest rate obtained under the same conditions is $1.9\mu\textrm{m}$/min. OES (Optical Emission Spectroscopy) analysis reveals that the intensities of F atom and CO molecule reach maximum at the optimum gas composition, which demonstrates that the principal reaction mechanism is fluorination and/or carbonyl reaction. It is confirmed, therefore, that dry processing technique using reactive plasma is quite feasible and applicable for the decontamination of surface-contaminated parts or equipments.
