Nano-factories in plasma: present status and outlook

Abstract

We propose the concept of ‘nano-factory in plasma’ which is a miniature version of a macroscopic conventional factory. A nano-factory in plasma produces nanoblocks and radicals (adhesives) in reactive plasmas, transports nanoblocks towards a substrate and arranges them on the substrate. We describe several key control methods for a nano-factory in plasma: size and structure control of nanoparticles, control of their agglomeration, transport and sticking, and then explain the combination of several types of control. Finally we point out remaining important issues in nano-factories in plasma.