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In terms of the industrial use of
plasma technologies, Quebec represents about 30% of the total
activity in Canada. With respect to scientific manpower and funding,
Quebec's contribution is even higher, exceeding 50% of the total
Canadian effort.
The Plasma-Québec network brings
together researchers from four Quebec universities (INRS, McGill,
Montreal and Sherbrooke) as well as institutes and companies working on
a variety of applications. Decades before the creation of Plasma-Québec,
numerous projects and developments within the four academic partners had
forged a strong culture for plasma research in Quebec.
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INRS-ÉMT
(Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, Energy,
Materials and Telecommunications Centre)
is an academic research institute that was
founded in 1970. The formation offered is limited to graduate
study programs. Originally, the plasma research group consisted
of four branches: laser fusion, magnetic confinement fusion,
fusion reactor technology, and plasma applications. During the
last decade the research in the first group has gradually
evolved towards laser plasma applications. From 1982 to 1998,
the scientists who constituted the three other groups devoted
their activities to the TdeV (Tokamak de Varennes). After 1998,
the TdeV group was concerned with investigating the physical
principles underlying a nuclear fusion power plant. A certain
number of these people have decided to apply their work and
knowledge to the fields of plasma applications. Their research
projects are nowadays centered on surface treatment, thin films
fabrication and nanotechnologies.
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At the
Université de Montréal, the
Plasma Physics
Group exists since 1963. During the
seventies, this group has developped a strong expertise in the
field of microwave excitation of plasmas, and electromagnetic
surface waves that can be used to sustain plasma columns. The
scientists have also applied the development of
microwaved-excited plasmas to chemical analysis. During the
nineties, the Plasma Physics Groups has deversified its
research: applications of the plasmas to the treatment of
materials (microcircuit fabrication), sterilization of
biomedical devices, detoxification and purification of gases.
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The
Plasma Technology Research Centre (CRTP) (now
CREPE)
is an interuniversity research centre grouping Université de
Sherbrooke and McGill University. The association was
established because of shared academic interests by a group of
professors and researchers. They had considered the great
potential plasma technology could have in the areas of material
treatment, chemical synthesis, extractive metallurgy and toxic
waste destruction. The 3 major objectives of the group have been
the design and the development of plasma furnaces and torches,
the study of transfer phenomena and reaction kinetics at high
temperature, and process development and the design of plasma
reactors.
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