The process of plasma ashing, plasma stripping or micro-incineration is usually restricted to the total
removal of organic matter by an oxygen plasma, the products being carbon oxides and water vapour
which are volatile and pumped away by the vacuum system. Historically, the first application was for
the removal of photoresist in the microelectronics industry, photoresist is composed of organic
compounds, essentially consisting of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Exposure to an oxygen plasma
eventually removes all the photoresist as volatiles leaving no residues unless there are inorganic
contaminants in the photoresist. This shows the process can be a totally dry process and also a
means of concentrating inorganic contaminants in organic materials.