U.S.-France Cooperative Research: Theoretical and Experimental Studies of Low Energy LMIS Focused Ion and Droplet Beams

该奖项将支持Paul H. Cutler教授、宾夕法尼亚州立大学帕克分校和Paul H. Cutler博士之间的合作研究。Pierre Sudraud和Ben Assayag的微结构和微电子实验室，法国巴涅克斯。这些研究人员将研究低能量聚焦离子和液滴光束在微电子和微加工中的应用。虽然已经研究了聚焦离子束用于直接暴露或用于制造微电子器件的掩膜，其尺寸范围低至0.1微米，但尚未对带电液滴光束进行过这样的研究。这些光束，如果由电流体动力液态金属源产生，其直径可小至1纳米，可用于掩模修复和微电路修改。这项研究将解决关于液滴光束表面相互作用、光束稳定性以及源参数对光束性能的影响等尚未解决的问题。将采用理论和实验两种方法。法国的实验室有很好的设备来进行聚焦离子和液滴光束的实验研究。其中包括一个巧妙的双扫描电子显微镜和离子柱同步同步操作，因此，实时研究离子束。美国研究者将为该项目提供理论专业知识。合作者的相互补充的专门知识，以及在法国进行研究的先进设备，将确保相互产生成果。这项工作可能对微电子元件和集成电路的制造和修复具有重要意义。

This award will support collaborative research between Prof. Paul H. Cutler, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, and Drs. Pierre Sudraud and Ben Assayag of the Laboratoire de Microstructure et de Microelectronique - CNRS, Bagneux, France. These researchers will study the application of low-energy focused ion and droplet beams to microelectronics and microfabrication. While focused ion beams have been studied for direct exposure or mask-making for the fabrication of microelectronic devices at size ranges down to 0.1 micrometer, charged droplet beams have not been so studied. These beams, which if produced by an electrohydrodynamic liquid metal source can be as small as 1 nanometer in diameter, may be useful for mask repair and microcircuit modification. This study will address unanswered questions about droplet beam-surface interactions, beam stability, and effects of source parameters on beam performance. Both theoretical and experimental approaches will be used. The French laboratory has excellent facilities for the experimental study of focused ion and droplet beams. These include an ingenious double scanning electron microscope and ion column synchronized for simultaneous operation and, therefore, real-time study of the ion beam. Theoretical expertise will be brought to the project by the U.S. investigator. The complementary expertise of the collaborators, as well as the sophisticated equipment available for the study in France, will assure a mutually productive effort. This work may have important implications for the fabrication and repair of microelectronic components and integrated circuits.