History of the Department
of Ion-Plasma Technologies and Equipment

In 1977, at Department 402 (Department of Power Plants and Aircraft Engines) of the Kharkiv Aviation Institute, on the initiative of its head professor, Doctor of Technical Sciences Belan Mykola Vasyliovych, work was started in the field of ion-plasma technologies in the Laboratory of New Technology. These works were carried out by the "Group of Ion-Plasma Technologies" headed by Associate Professor, Candidate of Technical Sciences Mykola Oleksiyovych Mashtylov. The basis for the new direction was the extensive research experience of the employees of department 402 and the Laboratory of New Technology in particular. Research was conducted in the following areas: creation, research and improvement of electrojet engines, as well as other plasma sources and accelerators; interaction of electromagnetic waves with plasma formations (both natural and artificial); power plants of space aircraft and in other related areas. The basis for the creation of a new direction was extensive knowledge of the mechanisms of generation and acceleration of plasma flows, the interaction of these flows with the design elements of plasma devices and with the environment, including both material objects and electric and magnetic fields, as well as a wide range of issues of conducting various measurements and their methodology.

Continuing to some extent the work on electrojet engines, the group took up the issue of their use for the needs of ion-plasma technology. Several new plasma sources based on pulse, arc, ion and other electrojet engines were developed. Methods of their use for the purpose of ion-plasma technologies were also developed, and then the technological processes of surface modification of various products and application of various types of functional coatings. At the same stage of its activities, the "Group of Ion-Plasma Technologies" proposed and put into practical use the original technological installation "VYKHOR-K", based on arc plasma sources and protected by many copyrights.

The second stage in the activity of the "Group of Ion-Plasma Technologies" began in 1982, when candidate of technical sciences Volodymyr Andriyovych Tkachenko became the head of the group. This stage was characterized by a further shift in the group's field of activity from electrojet engines related issues to plasma technological sources and ion-plasma technologies.

The field of interests of the group included magnetron and plasmatron systems. In 1989, by the decision of the Military Industry Committee of the USSR, the "VYHOR-N" experimental and industrial plant was designed and manufactured at the Novosibirsk plant "Syelectrotherm". In 1990, the installation was prepared for serial production, but the collapse of the USSR, which followed soon after, did not allow these works to be brought to a logical conclusion.

Much attention was paid to the study of the physics of plasma generation processes in its technological sources, the interaction of particle flows with the surface of a solid body, and the rational organization of technological processes. During this period of time, in cooperation with representatives of the Motor-Sych plant (our graduates), an installation for applying coatings resistant to dust erosion to compressor blades was designed, erosion-resistant coatings were developed and researched, and a technological process for applying erosion-resistant coatings was developed, which allowed to increase the resource operation of compressor blades of helicopter engines in conditions of strong dustiness.

The group developed a new type of technological plasma source belonging to the class of magnetron systems, the so-called "quasi-magnetron" technological source, and created installations based on it. Some of these installations found practical use at a number of industrial enterprises in Ukraine and Russia.

In 1995, by decision of the Ministry of Education of Ukraine, with the support of the National Space Agency, the Interdisciplinary Scientific and Technical Center for Space Energy and Engines was established at the Kharkiv Aviation Institute at Department 402. The "Department of Ion-Plasma Technologies and Equipment" became a constituent part of the Center as the successor of the "Group of Ion-Plasma Technologies".

Since the creation of the Department of Ion-Plasma Technologies and Equipment and until now, the Department has been headed by Candidate of Technical Sciences Volodymyr Petrovych Kolisnyk. The field of activity of the Department of Ion-Plasma Technologies and Equipment consisted of traditional for the Group of Ion-Plasma Technologies scientific directions, as well as new ones:

- technological processes with high rates of coating deposition;

- creation of coatings with variable composition in terms of thickness and length of the product;

- technological processes of deposition of thin films of compounds with correction of the stoichiometric composition;

- expansion of the temperature range of deposition processes towards lower substrate temperatures.

The long-term experience of the employees of the Department of Ion-Plasma Technologies and Equipment and their high intellectual potential are confirmed by more than 200 published articles and reports at conferences and more than 50 received copyright certificates and patents.