Toward Fundamental Understanding: Correlating the Gas-Phase, Surface, and Gas-Surface Interface in Halogenated Plasma Systems

该项目的重点是通过NSF/DOE基础等离子体科学与工程合作伙伴关系资助，旨在提高对使用卤化等离子体进行等离子体处理过程中表面发生的基本化学过程的理解。这些系统广泛用于蚀刻和存款高性能材料，并将继续用于制造下一代集成电路（IC）材料。材料的等离子体处理在广泛的应用中已成为不可或缺的，其中采用具有定制表面特性的高性能材料。重点是阐明这些系统中的基本分子水平化学。主要的实验工具是我们独特的基于激光的与表面相互作用的自由基成像（IRIS）技术，该技术提供了等离子体物种的稳态表面相互作用数据。IRIS设备计划进行的两项修改是提供无离子分子束的热灯丝化学气相沉积源，以及达到300 K衬底温度的冷却衬底保持器。气相诊断和表面表征也将被用来提供整个等离子体系统的全貌。总的来说，这些实验将产生通过其他实验技术无法获得的关于等离子体表面界面的至关重要的数据。研究的智力价值在于对卤化等离子体系统的知识和基本理解的重大进步。IRIS表面相互作用测量将仔细与气相和表面分析数据，以提供一个几乎完整的等离子体表面界面的信息。等离子体物种的内部和动能测量将提供洞察能量分配机制无法获得与其他技术。这项研究的内在跨学科性质将为学生提供广泛的接触和化学，工程和材料科学的教育，超越化学的传统界限。 这项研究的更广泛影响在于增加了对卤化等离子体蚀刻和沉积过程中发生的化学过程的理解。这些系统被认为是重要的科学和技术相关的过程，具有广泛的应用，其中需要高性能材料，如IC生产和涂层技术。更全面地了解这些系统中的潜在化学可能会导致制造业的改进，对许多行业产生巨大的经济影响。此外，PI致力于扩大代表性不足的群体的参与;她经常监督一个研究小组，其中50%是女性或代表性不足的少数民族同事。PI一直是该机构材料方案开发不可或缺的一部分，并计划开展更多的教育活动。

The focus of this project, funded through the NSF/DOE Partnership in Basic Plasma Science and Engineering, is to improve understanding of the fundamental chemical processes that occur at surfaces during plasma processing using halogenated plasmas. These systems are widely used to etch and deposit high performance materials, and will continue to be employed for manufacturing of next generation integrated circuit (IC) materials. Plasma processing of materials has become indispensable in a wide range of applications where high-performance materials with tailored surface properties are employed. The focus is on elucidating fundamental, molecular-level chemistry in these systems. The primary experimental tool is our unique laser-based Imaging of Radicals Interacting with Surfaces (IRIS) technique, which provides steady-state surface interaction data for plasma species. Two modifications planned for the IRIS apparatus are a hot-filament chemical vapor deposition source to provide an ion-free molecular beam, and a cooled substrate holder to access substrate temperatures 300 K. Gas-phase diagnostics and surface characterization will also be employed to provide a complete picture of the entire plasma system. Collectively, the experiments will produce critically important data on the plasma-surface interface unobtainable through other experimental techniques.The Intellectual Merit of the research lies in the potential for significant advancement in knowledge and basic understanding of halogenated plasma systems. IRIS surface-interaction measurements will be carefully correlated with gas-phase and surface analysis data to provide a virtually complete set of information on the plasma-surface interface. Internal and kinetic energy measurements for plasma species will provide insight into energy partitioning mechanisms unobtainable with other techniques. The intrinsic interdisciplinary nature of this research will afford students a broad exposure to and education in chemistry, engineering, and materials science, beyond the traditional boundaries in chemistry. The Broader Impacts of the research lie in the increased understanding of chemical processes occurring during etching and deposition from halogenated plasmas. These systems are recognized as important scientific and technologically-relevant processes with a wide range of applications where high performance materials are needed such as IC production and coatings technologies. A more complete understanding of the underlying chemistry in these systems could lead to manufacturing improvements with enormous economic impact across many industries. Furthermore, the PI is committed to broadening participation of underrepresented groups; she routinely supervises a research group with 50 percent female or underrepresented minority coworkers. The PI has been integral to development of the institution's materials program and plans additional educational activities with the work.