Ambient air atmospheric plasma generated by diffuse coplanar surface barrier discharge (DCSBD) was studied for in-line surface treatment of float glass. Extremely high DCSBD plasma power density and uniformity, even at a very short plasma exposure time 4 seconds (i.e., treatment speed 2 cm/s), resulted in effective surface cleaning and activation of a glass surface. The effect of plasma studied on both tin- and airside of float glass revealed effective cleaning of glass with significantly improved micro-uniformity of glass surface also in comparison with standard “wet” chemical cleaning protocol. As will be shown, a clean and uniform surface after ambient plasma treatment plays an important role in glass bonding. The improved micro-uniformity, together with increased adhesion properties, may eliminate local weak points that can initiate delamination and the subsequent formation of cracks in laminated glasses and thus lead to performance improvement of, e.g., laminated safety glass products. The capability of DCSBD plasma to activate the glass surface with a high surface density of surface hydroxyl species and apparently also the uniformity of their surface distribution was also demonstrated for the enhancement of the initial film formation during the deposition of thin and ultra-thin coatings on glass, e.g. by the atomic layer deposition technique. These results have huge application potential since the DCSBD plasma with unique scalability, safety and energy efficiency can be easily integrated into commercial flat glass processing lines.
