Applications and diagnostics of cold plasmas

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Deposition of thin films and etching operations via the use of "cold" (thermodynamically non-equilibrium) low-pressure (LP) plasmas achieved fundamental importance in the semiconductor and information technology industries since the 1960s. Those two operations categories and a third, surface modification of plastics (polymers), are now also being used in numerous other industrial sectors. In recent years there has been much progress towards implementing atmospheric-pressure (AP) "cold" plasmas, primarily of the dielectric-barrier discharge (DBD) variety, for those three process categories. Research in the applicant's laboratory of all the types mentioned above has over the years resulted in over 400 publications and in more than two dozen patents. His work is internationally known, has led to a Killam Research Fellowship (1990-92), to the creation of an NSERC Industrial Research Chair (IRC, 1996-2006), and to much technology transfer towards industry. Objectives of the proposed program extension will be to continue developing new materials, diagnostics and modelling studies designed to elucidate fundamental plasma phenomena, and development of novel applications and devices. Beside the direct use of LP and AP plasmas, the applicant is also investigating the treatment of materials within the above three process categories by vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) photo-physical chemistry: The potential advantage of (monochromatic) photons over plasmas is that the former can enable more "targeted", specific reaction pathways than the latter, thereby leading to much-enhanced processing efficiency. The availability of commercial VUV lamps, all based on LP or AP discharge plasmas, is rendering the photochemical route economically attractive. Proposed future research will primarily aim at biomaterials ("tissue engineering") applications, in collaboration with colleagues in the medical faculties at McGill and UMontréal, and with other members of the "Groupe de recherche en sciences et technologies biomédicales (GRSTB)" at École Polytechnique.