The rapidly increasing use of low-temperature, non-equilibrium plasmas in many technological applications has stimulated a renewed interest in fundamental studies of the physics and chemistry of low-temperature plasmas. Up to now, the technological applications of low-temperature plasmas have largely been developed empirically, whereas the basic understanding of the plasma processes in terms of fundamental interactions has been lagging. The need for ever more complex plasma-assisted processes, for improved process control in existing applications, and for the scaling of existing processes to larger dimensions, smaller features, and higher throughput render the empirical trial-and-error approach as the sole driving force behind further advances and new developments impractical in terms of time, effort and resources. While it is highly unrealistic to assume that the empirical expertise of the plasma practitioner will ever be replaced by predictive modelling and CAD tools based on the scientific description of the plasma processes, it is realistic to envision that progress in the field of plasma technology will greatly benefit from an improved understanding of the fundamental plasma processes. Empirical knowledge and expertise combined with an improved scientific understanding of the fundamental processes in conjunction with a broad base of collision and spectroscopic data will help develop new and more sensitive plasma diagnostic techniques, will facilitate a quantitative interpretation of diagnostics studies, and will advance predictive modelling and CAD tools. This, in turn, will lead to the implementation of new applications of plasma technology more efficiently and more effectively than by reliance on trial-and-error methods alone.
The articles in this Special Issue consist of topical review papers as well as of original research papers and represent a small cross section of activities that are currently being carried out in efforts to explore, understand and quantify fundamental processes in low-temperature plasmas and to build a data base for the characterization and modelling of the plasma processes. This is a research area which is rapidly expanding and no single issue of any journal (or any single book for that matter) can adequately represent the entire field. The articles in this Special Issue should in that sense be viewed as but a small cross section of the multi-faceted activities in a very active and rapidly expanding field devoted to the study of Elementary Processes and Basic Data Relevant to Low-Temperature Plasma. I would like to thank the editor-in-chief and the editorial board of this journal for the opportunity to serve as guest editor of this Special Issue. I am particularly grateful to Prof. Dr. J. WILHELM for his continued encouragement and support of this project. Thanks are also due to Dr. PETER BACHMANN who was instrumental in getting the manuscripts ready for publication and to the editorial staff of the publisher for their support and cooperation which made this Special Issue possible.
KURT H. BECKER New York, April 1995 N o t e : The Invited Topical Review entitled "Cross-Sections, Rate Constants and Transport Coefficients in Silane Plasma Chemistry" by J. Perrin, 0. Leroy, M.-C. Bordage could not be published as part of this Special Issue for editorial reasons. The article will appear a following issue of this journal. We apologize to the authors and to the readers for any inconvenience this may cause.