MRI: Acquisition of Plasma Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition (PEALD) for Extremely Conformal Deposition of Metal and Nitride Films on 3D-Nanostructure Devices

该奖项为达拉斯德克萨斯大学的原子层沉积系统提供资金，以实现三维（3D）纳米结构器件的基础研究。该仪器的收购将促进广泛的研究活动，涵盖纳米电子学，储能，光子学和生物医学设备。该工具将通过在复杂的3D和温度敏感的衬底上提供共形金属和氮化物沉积来提高研究能力。金属和氮化物是许多器件架构的构建块，并且这些材料用于在真实的世界应用中实现稳健的性能和完整性。该仪器有利于高纵横比结构上的高度共形沉积，这是无处不在的新型器件结构，并可以定制，以满足最终用途所规定的规格。该系统将有助于塑造和培训研究生和本科生，研究人员，博士后和科学家投资于纳米器件研究，包括大量代表性不足的少数民族和妇女在干。一个附带的好处将是在快速增长的达拉斯-DFW大都市区和美国的半导体技术和设备处理领域的就业机会的适当训练的工作队的可用性。等离子体增强原子层沉积（PE-ALD）系统利用远程等离子体产生高能量的自由基，同时最大限度地减少等离子体对敏感基板的损伤，并使氮化物和金属沉积在低温下。通过使用独特的扩散增强剂增加反应室中的压力和暴露时间来增强涂覆能力。该系统提供了前所未有的能力，在高度多孔的基板上均匀沉积，纵横比高达1：10，000。它在设计下一代3D结构纳米器件方面也很有用。例如，先进的3D堆叠半导体器件、超高密度能量存储器件、用于超分辨率成像的增益辅助双曲超材料以及形状变形3D弹性体生物/医学器件等需要可以通过PE-ALD沉积的保形金属和介电涂层。这个新的PE-ALD系统还将支持全国众多蓬勃发展和成熟的电子/医疗设备公司的研究项目。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This award provides funding to acquire an atomic layer deposition system at the University of Texas in Dallas to enable fundamental research in three-dimensional (3D) nanostructure devices. The acquisition of the instrument will foster a wide range of research activities spanning nanoelectronics, energy storage, photonics and biomedical devices. The proposed tool will advance the research capabilities by providing conformal metal and nitride deposition on complex 3D and temperature sensitive substrates. Metals and nitrides are the building blocks of many device architectures, and these materials serve to enable robust performance and integrity in real world applications. The instrument facilitates highly conformal deposition on high-aspect ratio structures, that are ubiquitous with novel device structures and could be tailored to meet the specifications dictated by end usage. This system will be instrumental in shaping and training graduate and undergraduate students, researchers, post-docs, and scientists invested in nano-device research, encompassing a substantial number of underrepresented minority and women in STEM. A fringe benefit would be the availability of properly trained task force for employment opportunities in the field of semiconductor technology and device processing in the rapidly growing Dallas-DFW metroplex area and the US.The plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PE-ALD) system utilizes a remote plasma to generate high energy radicals while minimizing plasma damage on sensitive substrates and enabling nitride and metal deposition at low temperatures. The coating ability is enhanced by increasing the pressure and exposure time in the reaction chamber using a unique diffusion enhancer. This system provides unprecedented capability for uniform deposition on highly porous substrates with aspect ratio up to 1:10,000. It is also useful in designing next-generation 3D structured nano-devices. For example, advanced 3D stacked semiconductor devices, ultra-high density energy storage devices, gain-assisted hyperbolic metamaterials for super-resolution imaging, and shape-morphing 3D elastomer bio/med-devices, etc. require conformal metal and dielectric coating, that can be deposited by PE-ALD. This new PE-ALD system will also support the research projects in numerous flourishing and established electronic/medical device companies nationwide.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.