MRI: Acquisition of Plasma Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition (PEALD) for Extremely Conformal Deposition of Metal and Nitride Films on 3D-Nanostructure Devices

该奖项提供资金用于在达拉斯的德克萨斯大学获得原子层沉积系统，以实现三维（3D）纳米结构器件的基础研究。该仪器的收购将促进广泛的研究活动，包括纳米电子学、能源存储、光子学和生物医学设备。提出的工具将通过在复杂的3D和温度敏感基板上提供保形金属和氮化物沉积来提高研究能力。金属和氮化物是许多器件体系结构的构建模块，这些材料可以在现实世界的应用中实现强大的性能和完整性。该仪器有助于在高纵横比结构上进行高度保形沉积，这种结构在新型器件结构中无处不在，并且可以根据最终用途进行定制以满足规格要求。该系统将有助于塑造和培训投入纳米器件研究的研究生和本科生、研究人员、博士后和科学家，包括大量在STEM领域未被充分代表的少数民族和女性。一个附带的好处是，在快速发展的达拉斯-达拉斯大都会区和美国，半导体技术和设备加工领域可以获得经过适当培训的工作小组的就业机会。等离子体增强原子层沉积（PE-ALD）系统利用远程等离子体产生高能自由基，同时最大限度地减少等离子体对敏感基底的损伤，并在低温下沉积氮化物和金属。通过使用独特的扩散增强剂增加反应室中的压力和曝光时间，涂层能力得到增强。该系统提供了前所未有的能力，在高多孔基板上均匀沉积，纵横比高达1:10,000。它在设计下一代三维结构纳米器件方面也很有用。例如，先进的3D堆叠半导体器件、超高密度储能器件、用于超分辨率成像的增益辅助双曲超材料以及可变形的3D弹性体生物/医学器件等都需要可通过PE-ALD沉积的保形金属和介电涂层。新的PE-ALD系统还将支持全国众多蓬勃发展和成熟的电子/医疗器械公司的研究项目。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This award provides funding to acquire an atomic layer deposition system at the University of Texas in Dallas to enable fundamental research in three-dimensional (3D) nanostructure devices. The acquisition of the instrument will foster a wide range of research activities spanning nanoelectronics, energy storage, photonics and biomedical devices. The proposed tool will advance the research capabilities by providing conformal metal and nitride deposition on complex 3D and temperature sensitive substrates. Metals and nitrides are the building blocks of many device architectures, and these materials serve to enable robust performance and integrity in real world applications. The instrument facilitates highly conformal deposition on high-aspect ratio structures, that are ubiquitous with novel device structures and could be tailored to meet the specifications dictated by end usage. This system will be instrumental in shaping and training graduate and undergraduate students, researchers, post-docs, and scientists invested in nano-device research, encompassing a substantial number of underrepresented minority and women in STEM. A fringe benefit would be the availability of properly trained task force for employment opportunities in the field of semiconductor technology and device processing in the rapidly growing Dallas-DFW metroplex area and the US.The plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition (PE-ALD) system utilizes a remote plasma to generate high energy radicals while minimizing plasma damage on sensitive substrates and enabling nitride and metal deposition at low temperatures. The coating ability is enhanced by increasing the pressure and exposure time in the reaction chamber using a unique diffusion enhancer. This system provides unprecedented capability for uniform deposition on highly porous substrates with aspect ratio up to 1:10,000. It is also useful in designing next-generation 3D structured nano-devices. For example, advanced 3D stacked semiconductor devices, ultra-high density energy storage devices, gain-assisted hyperbolic metamaterials for super-resolution imaging, and shape-morphing 3D elastomer bio/med-devices, etc. require conformal metal and dielectric coating, that can be deposited by PE-ALD. This new PE-ALD system will also support the research projects in numerous flourishing and established electronic/medical device companies nationwide.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.