Plasma-Generating Structures, Display Devices, Plasma-Enhanced Treatments, Methods Of Forming Plasma-Generating Structures; Methods Of Plasma-Assisted Etching, And Methods Of Plasma-Assisted Deposition

An assembly for plasma-enhanced treatment of a substrate, comprising:

• a plurality of hollow cathode plasma-generating structures;
• circuitry configured to provide current flow that generates and maintains plasma within at least some of the hollow cathodes;
• a substrate-retaining structure configured to retain a substrate proximate the plurality of hollow cathode plasma-generating structures;
• and
• wherein a smallest unit independently controlled by the circuitry is defined as a plasma element, and wherein there are a plurality of said plasma elements configured for treating two or more regions of the substrate differently relative to one another.

A display device, comprising:

• a display screen comprising plasma-activated pixels;
• a plurality of plasma-generating structures proximate the display screen and configured to controllably activate the pixels, the plasma-generating structures being within openings extending through a dielectric material body;
• and
• circuitry controlling current flow through the plasma-generating structures, the circuitry being configured to provide current flow that generates and maintains plasmas within the plasma-generating structures.

A method of forming a plurality of hollow cathode plasma-generating structures, comprising:

• forming a plurality of openings extending into a body, the body comprising aluminum oxide;
• forming electrically conductive liners within the openings;
• and
• forming circuitry to control current flow through the electrically conductive liners, the circuitry being configured to provide current flow that generates and maintains plasmas within the lined openings.

A method of plasma-assisted etching, comprising:

• providing a plurality of hollow cathodes;
• providing a substrate proximate the hollow cathodes;
• forming plasmas within the hollow cathodes;
• and
• utilizing one or more species generated by the plasmas to etch the substrate.

A method of plasma-assisted deposition, comprising:

• providing a plurality of hollow cathodes;
• providing a substrate spaced from the plurality of hollow cathodes by a gap;
• forming plasmas within the hollow cathodes;
• flowing one or more reactants within the gap;
• and
• forming a deposit on the substrate from the one or more reactants, the forming comprising interaction of at least one reactant with one or both of species in the plasmas and species emitted from the plasmas.

A method of plasma-assisted deposition, comprising:

• providing a plurality of hollow cathodes, the hollow cathodes comprising exposed material;
• forming plasmas within the hollow cathodes;
• and
• utilizing the plasmas to sputter-deposit exposed material from the hollow cathodes onto a substrate.