CAREER: Plasma and Surface Chemistry in Depositing and Etching Metal Oxides

对复杂等离子体化学过程的理解使得硅基微电子系统中薄膜沉积、蚀刻、表面清洁和表面改性的许多技术突破成为可能。通过阐明金属氧化物薄膜中的气相和表面反应机制、电子缺陷的起源及其对这些薄膜传导机制的影响，本职业生涯的目标是将等离子体处理技术扩展到金属氧化物（一种非硅类介电材料）。等离子体诊断和表面分析技术用于获得等离子体化学的定量信息，识别反应中间体，并确定在实际加工条件下建模和控制沉积和蚀刻过程所需的表面反应速率系数。利用扫描隧道显微镜研究了超薄电介质生长初期的局部表面电子结构和点缺陷。建立一个以半导体制造和微加工实验室为特色的本科半导体制造选项，为化学工程专业的学生提供制造和测试微型电子器件和微机电系统（MEMS）的实践经验。

Understanding of complex plasma-chemical processes has enabled many technological breakthroughs for thin-film deposition, etching, surface cleaning, and surface modification in silicon-based microelectronic systems. The objective of this CAREER effort is to extend plasma processing technology to metal oxides, a nonsilicon class of dielectric materials, by elucidating the gas-phase and surface reaction mechanisms and the origins of electronic defects in metal-oxide thin films and their effects on the conduction mechanisms of these films. Plasma diagnostic and surface analytical techniques are used to obtain quantitative information on plasma chemistry, identify reaction intermediates, and determine surface reaction-rate coefficients needed to model and control deposition and etching processes under real processing conditions. Scanning tunneling microscopy is used to determine local surface electronic structure and point defects during initial growth of the ultrathin dielectrics.An undergraduate semiconductor manufacturing option is to be established featuring a Semiconductor Manufacturing and Micro-Fabrication Laboratory to give chemical engineering students hands-on experience in fabricating and testing miniature electronic devices and micro-electrical mechanical systems (MEMS).