Study of Growth/Etch Front Roughening at Far-From-Equilibrium

在远离平衡的条件下，在表面的蚀刻/生长过程中界面粗糙度的形成不能用传统的统计力学来描述。动态标度假说的发展，结合模拟和连续介质理论，为非平衡物理研究领域指出了一个令人兴奋的新方向。一些实验系统将被用来定量地探索在远离平衡的粗糙化现象，并被设计来测试动态标度假设。该系统包括表面的蚀刻（等离子体蚀刻、离子溅射和反应离子蚀刻）和表面上的膜（包括聚合物）的生长。将使用最先进的技术在垂直（界面宽度）和水平（横向相关性）方向上跨越较宽的长度尺度，以实时测量界面粗糙度。粗糙度和形态将使用噪声诱导和其他生长机制，包括侧壁生长和各向异性生长进行模拟。实验和模拟测量的粗糙度指数和界面生长指数将被用来建立动力学标度现象的普适类。可以预见，对生长/蚀刻前沿粗糙化现象的基本理解，加上实时监测表面的表征技术，将允许在实际应用中控制界面粗糙度。界面粗糙度是薄膜和器件加工中的核心问题之一，它直接控制着薄膜和器件的许多物理和化学性质。本研究调查的基本方面的界面粗糙度的形成过程中的生长/蚀刻的表面下远离平衡条件。在蚀刻领域，将使用诸如等离子体蚀刻、离子溅射和反应离子蚀刻的蚀刻器处理技术。一个新的努力，在生长领域将启动研究的形态和演变的聚合物薄膜生长的气相沉积。学生将利用原子力显微镜，光散射，x射线衍射和电子衍射来测量和量化界面粗糙度。将使用具有分形维数的动态标度理论分析随时间变化的粗糙度数据。在本研究计划下培训的学生将顺利过渡到学术或工业环境。

9971265Wang The formation of interface roughness during the etching/growth of surfaces under far-from-equilibrium conditions cannot be described by conventional statistical mechanics. Recent development of the dynamic scaling hypothesis coupled with simulations and continuum theory point to an exciting and new direction in the area of non-equilibrium physics research. A number of experimental systems will be used to explore quantitatively the roughening phenomena at far-from-equilibrium and are designed to test the dynamic scaling hypothesis. The systems include etching of surfaces (plasma etching, ion sputtering, and reactive ion etching) and growth of films (including polymers) on surfaces. State-of-the-art techniques will be used to span a wide length scale both in the vertical (interface width) and horizontal (lateral correlation) directions to measure the interface roughness in real-time. The roughness and morphology will be simulated using noise-induced and other growth mechanisms including sidewall growth and anisotropy growth. The roughness exponent and interface growth exponent measured from experiments and simulations will be used to establish the universality class of dynamic scaling phenomenon. It is anticipated that a fundamental understanding of the growth/etch front roughening phenomena coupled with characterization techniques to monitor the surface in real-time will allow the control of interface roughness in practical applications.%%%Interface roughness is one of the central issues in thin film and device processing and it directly controls many physical and chemical properties of films and devices. This research investigates fundamental aspects of the formation of interface roughness during growth/etching of surfaces under far-from-equilibrium conditions. In the etching area, semiconductor-processing techniques such as plasma etching, ion sputtering, and reactive ion etching will be used. A new effort in the growth area will be initiated to study the morphology and evolution of polymer film growth by vapor deposition. Students will utilize atomic force microscopy, light scattering, x-ray diffraction and electron diffraction to measure and quantify the interface roughness. The time dependent roughness data will be analyzed using dynamical scaling theories with fractal dimensions. Students trained under this research program will have a smooth transition to either an academic or an industrial environment.***