Plasma-based synthesis and etching of innovative materials at the nanoscale

在未来的几年里，材料科学和工程的创新将取决于我们在纳米尺度上控制材料结构的能力，以便设计出具有定制性能(电、光、磁等)的新材料。在纳米尺度上独特地安排物质的最强大的方法之一是使用等离子体，因为它们具有同时提供各种粒子的独特能力，例如电子、离子、中性原子和自由基以及光子。 正如美国能源部在2008年的报告《低温等离子体科学：不仅是物质的第四种状态，而且是所有这些物质的第四种状态)中所说的那样，“独特的非平衡环境以及等离子体产生的活性和带电物种的组合为合成和修饰纳米材料提供了方法，而这种方法可能是任何其他方法都无法实现的。然而，对活性自由基、离子、电子和光子如何与纳米材料相互作用的基本了解对于扩大目前的技术水平以产生科学上令人兴奋和技术上重要的发现是必要的。从一开始，我的愿景就是将自己投入到这一处于各个学科前沿的肥沃领域，并在材料科学和技术方面产生大量令人兴奋的新知识。 根据这一愿景，我的首要研究重点是开展先进等离子体源的前沿基础研究，以了解从微米到纳米尺度的等离子体特性与材料结构之间的关系。这些源包括激光产生的等离子体、感应耦合等离子体和介质阻挡放电。我的第二个优先事项是充分利用这些等离子体专业知识，以实现许多具有挑战性的目标，其中包括：(I)以薄膜或纳米颗粒的形式合成创新材料，重点是具有电和/或光学特性的材料，这些材料可以通过施加外部刺激(电场、光信号、温度)进行调节，以及(Ii)等离子蚀刻，以在各种材料中制造真正纳米尺寸的物体。我的第三个优先事项是与学术和/或工业研究人员合作，利用这些先进的微和纳米制造工艺(等离子体合成和蚀刻)，以测试射频和光子器件和传感器的新概念。 除了它的科学和技术影响，这个跨学科研究项目的一个主要好处是，它通过从等离子科学、材料合成、蚀刻和表征到器件制造和测试的广泛技能和专业知识，为积极进取的高素质人员(HQP)提供高水平的科学/技术培训。这一HQP将构成未来学术界和加拿大高科技行业的专业人才库。

In the coming years, innovation in materials science and engineering will reside in our ability to control at the nanoscale the structure of materials in order to design new materials with tailored properties (electrical, optical, magnetic, etc.). One of the most powerful means to uniquely arrange matter at the nanocale is to use plasmas due to their unique ability to provide simultaneously a variety of particles such as electrons, ions, neutral atoms and radicals, and photons. As stated in the 2008 report of the US Department of Energy, Low Temperature Plasma Science : Not Only the Fourth State of Matter but All of Them, “The unique nonequilibrium environment and the combination of reactive and charged species created by the plasma provide the means to synthesize and modify nanometer-sized materials in ways that may not be achieved by any other means. However, a fundamental understanding of how reactive radicals, ions, electrons, and photons interact with nano-materials is necessary for extending the current state of the art to produce scientifically exciting and technologically important discoveries.” From the very beginning, my vision was to engage myself in this fertile field at the cutting edge of various disciplines and that generates large amounts of exciting new knowledge in materials science and technology. According to this vision, my first research priority is to perform leading edge fundamental studies of advanced plasma sources in order to understand the relationship between plasma characteristics and materials structure from micro- to nanoscale. These sources include laser-produced plasmas, inductively-coupled plasmas and dielectric barrier discharges. My second priority is to capitalize on this plasma expertise in order to achieve many challenging objectives that encompass (i) synthesis of innovative materials in the form of thin films or nanoparticles, the emphasis being on materials with electrical and/or optical properties that can be tuned by applying external stimuli (electrical field, optical signal, temperature), and (ii) plasma etching to fabricate objects of truly nanoscale dimensions in various materials. My third priority is to exploit in collaboration with academic and/or industrial researchers these advanced micro- and nanofabrication processes (plasma synthesis and etching) in order to test new concepts in RF and photonic devices and sensors. In addition to its scientific and technological impact, a major benefit of this interdisciplinary research program is that it provides high level of scientific/technical training to motivated Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP) through a broad set of skills and expertise, ranging from plasma science, materials synthesis, etching and characterization to device fabrication and testing. This HQP will constitute a future pool of expertise for academia and for high-technology Canadian industries.