Atmospheric-Pressure Plasma Microdischarges for High-Rate Deposition

本研究的目的是探讨影响一种新型等离子体辅助网状沉积(PAD)微加工系统设计和运行的基本机制。沉积是在大气压下进行的，因此不需要高真空反应堆。等离子体反应将在微放电内进行，并在反应器底部的衬底表面进行。拟建的PAND反应器的“无光刻”特性将使传感器、小型结构和器件的制造变得快速而廉价。拟议的等离子体反应堆将被开发用于沉积金属、介电材料和聚合物。创新的建模策略将被用来模拟这里提到的独特的放电。为了考察各种工艺参数对进气电离和离解特性的影响，将为该反应器开发高分辨率的“放电物理模型”。成功完成拟议的研究将导致开发一种高效且廉价的微制造工艺。将获得大量关于大气等离子体条件下的沉积和刻蚀反应的数据。这些数据不仅对开发拟议的反应堆有用，而且对大气冷等离子体在光谱学等其他科学领域的进一步应用也是有用的。将与阿拉巴马州亨茨维尔的CFD研究公司合作开展模型开发方面的研究。我们还计划与亚利桑那州坦佩的Trion Technology合作，后者是一家等离子刻蚀和沉积系统公司，用于表征微放电和进一步开发PAND系统。

The objective of this research is to investigate the fundamental mechanisms affecting the design and operation of a novel Plasma-Assisted Net-shape Deposition (PAND) system for microfabrication. The deposition is carried out under atmospheric pressure and this eliminates the need for high-vacuum reactors. Plasma reactions will be carried out within the microdischarge and on the substrate surface at the base of the reactor. The 'photolithography-less' feature of the proposed PAND reactors will enable fabrications of sensors, small structures and devices rapidly and inexpensively. The proposed plasma reactors will be developed for depositing metals, dielectric materials, and polymers. Innovative modeling strategies will be used to simulate the unique discharges addressed here. High-resolution 'discharge physics models' will be developed for the reactor to examine the effects of various process parameters on the ionization and dissociation characteristics of the feed gases. Successful completion of the proposed research will lead to the development of an efficient and inexpensive microfabrication process. Significant amount of data on deposition and etching reactions under atmospheric plasma conditions will be obtained. Such data will be useful not only for developing the proposed reactors but also for further applications of the atmospheric cold plasma in other scientific areas like spectroscopy. Collaborative research in model development will be carried out with CFD Research Corporation, Huntsville, Alabama. We also plan to partner with Trion Technology, Tempe, Arizona - a plasma etch and deposition system company for characterizing the microdischarge and for further development of the PAND system.