Metal and alloy electrodeposition for nanotechnology and materials science applications

未来的技术进步将取决于电子和通信设备的可靠性和进一步微型化，以及纳米技术、医学、传感器等应用的新材料的开发。拟议的研究针对这些广泛的需求，但重点放在两个项目上：i)改进大马士革工艺的操作和了解，该工艺用于制造半导体行业的铜基微电子器件；ii)开发生产形状记忆合金的新工艺，以生产用于各种应用的形状记忆合金，如致动器、开关、恒温器和医疗设备，包括支架、腔静脉过滤器、正畸支架和眼镜框架。在这两个项目中，共同的方法是使用电沉积金属和合金涂层。与化学气相沉积、熔化和铸造等更成熟的技术相比，电沉积是一种有吸引力的替代技术，因为它通常更便宜、更灵活，可以在较温和的条件下操作，对零件形状提供更精确的控制，并更有效地利用被沉积的金属。

Future advances in technology will depend on the reliability and further miniaturization of electronic and communication devices down to nanoscale size and on the development of new materials for applications in nanotechnology, medical sciences, sensors, etc. The proposed research is aimed at these broad needs, but focuses on two projects, in particular: i) improvements to the operation and understanding of the Damascene process used to fabricate copper-based microelectronic devices in the semiconductor industry and ii) development of new processes to produce shape memory alloys for use in a wide variety of applications such as actuators, switches, thermostats and medical devices including stents, vena-cava filters, orthodontal braces and eyeglass frames. The common approach in both projects is the use of electrodeposition of metal and alloy coatings. Electrodeposition is an attractive alternative to more established techniques such as chemical vapour deposition, melting and casting since it is generally cheaper and more flexible, can operate under milder conditions, provides more precise control over part shape and more efficient use of metal being deposited.