A simple and inexpensive method to generate plasma using a kitchen microwave oven is described in this paper. The microwave-generated plasma is characterized by spectroscopic analysis and compared with the absorption spectra of a gas discharge tube. A Paschen-like curve is observed as the microwave plasma initiation time is plotted as a function of the pressure of the plasma chamber. We have also demonstrated that this microwave-generated air plasma can be used in a multitude of applications such as: (a) surface modification of a substrate to change its wettability; (b) surface modification to change electrical/optical properties of a substrate; and (c) enhancement of adhesive forces for improved bonding of polymeric microfluidic molds, such as bonding polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) chips to glass covers. These simple techniques of plasma generation and subsequent surface treatment and modification applications may bring new opportunities leading to new innovations not only in advanced labs, but also in undergraduate and even high school research labs.

中文翻译：

---

家用微波炉产生的等离子体用于表面改性和其他新兴应用

本文介绍了一种使用厨房微波炉产生等离子体的简单且廉价的方法。微波产生的等离子体通过光谱分析进行表征，并与气体放电管的吸收光谱进行比较。当绘制微波等离子体起始时间作为等离子体室压力的函数时，观察到Paschen样曲线。我们还证明了这种微波产生的空气等离子体可用于多种应用，例如：（a）对基材进行表面改性以改变其润湿性；（b）表面改性以改变基材的电/光学性质；（c）增强粘合力以改善聚合物微流体模具的粘合，例如将聚二甲基硅氧烷（PDMS）芯片粘合至玻璃盖。