CAREER: Research and Education Program Based on a Novel Microplasma Source

提案编号： ECS-9701916 主要研究者： 杰弗里·霍普伍德 标题：职业生涯：基于新型微等离子体源的研究和教育计划 本论文将探讨一种新型微电浆源的制作、物理特性、模型化与应用。 微等离子体发生器是在晶片上制造的，与集成电路的方式大致相同，因此是对称为微电子机械系统（MEMS）的新的和重要的一类设备的重要补充。 等离子体源本身基于电感耦合等离子体（ICP）反应器的原理，其中天线通过电感耦合成为反应器区域中包含的中性气体的RF能量源，从而将其电离并产生等离子体状态。平面ICP几何形状非常适合于使用常规集成电路和微机械加工技术在晶片上按比例缩小制造。该装置的小规模将推动其操作进入等离子体科学中一个全新的和未探索的领域。 在这种新的小尺度区域中，趋肤深度大于等离子体本身的半径，因此可以预期屏蔽特性会非常不同。 因此，这项工作是非常基础的，以及增加了一个新的维度MEMS与许多潜在的应用。 该教育计划涉及环境监测项目，这些项目基于面向本科生的小型、低功率ICP设备，还计划在高中开展一些推广活动。 这些项目还涉及光发射光谱学、压控功率振荡器的电子设计和非线性控制系统的多学科培训，以及MEMS制造方法的培训。这些研究项目还使等离子体科学的教育更容易为更广泛的学生所接受。 通常的ICP反应器是一个大型设备，只能由少数训练有素的操作员使用。 它还涉及高电流和高场，这出于安全原因限制了其可达性。 国家研究理事会报告《等离子体科学：从基础科学到技术应用》记录了对等离子体科学进行更多教育的迫切需要。 半导体行业和新兴的等离子体辅助制造和环境废物处理行业面临着严重的人才短缺，特别是在等离子体科学和工程方面的培训。 这些实践等离子项目将提供国家重要领域的培训。 ***

Proposal Number: ECS-9701916 Principal Investigator: Jeffrey Hopwood Title: CAREER: Research and Education Program Based on a Novel Microplasma Source The fabrication, physical characterization, modeling and applications of a novel microplasma source will be investigated and developed. The microplasma generator is fabricated on a wafer, in much the same way as an integrated circuit, and therefore is a significant addition to the new and important class of devices known as microelectronic mechanical systems (MEMS). The plasma source itself is based on the principle of an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) reactor in which an antenna, through inductive coupling, becomes a source of rf energy for a neutral gas contained in a reactor region, thereby ionizing it and creating a plasma state. The planer ICP geometry is well-suited for scaled down fabrication on wafers using conventional integrated circuit and micromachining techniques. The small scale of the device will push its operation into a wholly new and unexplored area in plasma science. In this new small scale regime, the skin depth is greater than the radius of the plasma itself, therefore shielding properties may be expected to be very different. This work is therefore very fundamental, as well as adding a new dimension to MEMS with many potential applications. The education plan involves projects in environmental monitoring based on the small, lower power ICP devices for undergraduates, with some high school outreach also planned. The projects also involve multidisciplinary training in optical emission spectroscopy, electronic design of voltage controlled power oscillators, and non-linear control systems, in addition to training in MEMS fabrication methods. The research projects also make an education in plasma science much more accessible to a much wider range of students. The usual ICP reactor is a large piece of equipment which can only be accessed by a few competently trained operators. It als o involves high currents and high fields which limit its accessibility for safety reasons. That there is a critical need for more education in plasma science is documented by the National Research Council Report: Plasma Science: From Fundamental Science to Technological Applications. The semiconductor industry and the burgeoning plasma aided manufacturing and environmental waste treatment industries face a critical shortage of people with training specifically in plasma science and engineering. These hands-on plasma projects will provide training in an area of national importance. ***