CAREER: Research and Education Program Based on a Novel Microplasma Source

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Proposal Number: ECS-9701916 Principal Investigator: Jeffrey Hopwood Title: CAREER: Research and Education Program Based on a Novel Microplasma Source The fabrication, physical characterization, modeling and applications of a novel microplasma source will be investigated and developed. The microplasma generator is fabricated on a wafer, in much the same way as an integrated circuit, and therefore is a significant addition to the new and important class of devices known as microelectronic mechanical systems (MEMS). The plasma source itself is based on the principle of an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) reactor in which an antenna, through inductive coupling, becomes a source of rf energy for a neutral gas contained in a reactor region, thereby ionizing it and creating a plasma state. The planer ICP geometry is well-suited for scaled down fabrication on wafers using conventional integrated circuit and micromachining techniques. The small scale of the device will push its operation into a wholly new and unexplored area in plasma science. In this new small scale regime, the skin depth is greater than the radius of the plasma itself, therefore shielding properties may be expected to be very different. This work is therefore very fundamental, as well as adding a new dimension to MEMS with many potential applications. The education plan involves projects in environmental monitoring based on the small, lower power ICP devices for undergraduates, with some high school outreach also planned. The projects also involve multidisciplinary training in optical emission spectroscopy, electronic design of voltage controlled power oscillators, and non-linear control systems, in addition to training in MEMS fabrication methods. The research projects also make an education in plasma science much more accessible to a much wider range of students. The usual ICP reactor is a large piece of equipment which can only be accessed by a few competently trained operators. It als o involves high currents and high fields which limit its accessibility for safety reasons. That there is a critical need for more education in plasma science is documented by the National Research Council Report: Plasma Science: From Fundamental Science to Technological Applications. The semiconductor industry and the burgeoning plasma aided manufacturing and environmental waste treatment industries face a critical shortage of people with training specifically in plasma science and engineering. These hands-on plasma projects will provide training in an area of national importance. ***