Plasma-based synthesis and etching of innovative materials at the nanoscale

在未来的几年里，材料科学和工程的创新将取决于我们在纳米尺度上控制材料结构的能力，从而设计出具有定制性能（电学、光学、磁性等）的新材料。在纳米尺度上独特排列物质的最有力手段之一是使用等离子体，因为等离子体具有同时提供各种粒子（如电子、离子、中性原子和自由基以及光子）的独特能力。正如美国能源部2008年的报告《低温等离子体科学：不仅是物质的第四种状态，而且是所有状态》中所述，“等离子体创造的独特的非平衡环境以及活性物质和带电物质的结合，提供了合成和修饰纳米材料的方法，这是任何其他方法都无法实现的。”然而，对活性自由基、离子、电子和光子如何与纳米材料相互作用的基本理解，对于扩展当前的艺术状态，产生令人兴奋的科学和技术上的重要发现是必要的。”从一开始，我的愿景就是投身于这个肥沃的领域，在各个学科的前沿，在材料科学和技术领域产生大量令人兴奋的新知识。根据这一愿景，我的首要研究重点是进行先进等离子体源的前沿基础研究，以了解等离子体特性与材料结构之间从微观到纳米尺度的关系。这些源包括激光产生的等离子体、电感耦合等离子体和介质阻挡放电。我的第二个优先事项是利用等离子体专业知识来实现许多具有挑战性的目标，包括(i)薄膜或纳米颗粒形式的创新材料的合成，重点是具有电学和/或光学特性的材料，可以通过施加外部刺激（电场、光信号、温度）来调节，以及（ii）等离子体蚀刻来制造各种材料的真正纳米级尺寸的物体。我的第三个优先事项是与学术和/或工业研究人员合作开发这些先进的微纳米制造工艺（等离子体合成和蚀刻），以测试射频和光子器件和传感器中的新概念。除了其科学和技术的影响，这个跨学科研究项目的一个主要好处是，它提供了高水平的科学/技术培训，通过广泛的技能和专业知识，从等离子科学，材料合成，蚀刻和表征到设备制造和测试，激励高素质人才（HQP）。这一HQP将为学术界和加拿大高科技工业构成一个未来的专业知识库。

In the coming years, innovation in materials science and engineering will reside in our ability to control at the nanoscale the structure of materials in order to design new materials with tailored properties (electrical, optical, magnetic, etc.). One of the most powerful means to uniquely arrange matter at the nanocale is to use plasmas due to their unique ability to provide simultaneously a variety of particles such as electrons, ions, neutral atoms and radicals, and photons. As stated in the 2008 report of the US Department of Energy, Low Temperature Plasma Science : Not Only the Fourth State of Matter but All of Them, “The unique nonequilibrium environment and the combination of reactive and charged species created by the plasma provide the means to synthesize and modify nanometer-sized materials in ways that may not be achieved by any other means. However, a fundamental understanding of how reactive radicals, ions, electrons, and photons interact with nano-materials is necessary for extending the current state of the art to produce scientifically exciting and technologically important discoveries.” From the very beginning, my vision was to engage myself in this fertile field at the cutting edge of various disciplines and that generates large amounts of exciting new knowledge in materials science and technology. According to this vision, my first research priority is to perform leading edge fundamental studies of advanced plasma sources in order to understand the relationship between plasma characteristics and materials structure from micro- to nanoscale. These sources include laser-produced plasmas, inductively-coupled plasmas and dielectric barrier discharges. My second priority is to capitalize on this plasma expertise in order to achieve many challenging objectives that encompass (i) synthesis of innovative materials in the form of thin films or nanoparticles, the emphasis being on materials with electrical and/or optical properties that can be tuned by applying external stimuli (electrical field, optical signal, temperature), and (ii) plasma etching to fabricate objects of truly nanoscale dimensions in various materials. My third priority is to exploit in collaboration with academic and/or industrial researchers these advanced micro- and nanofabrication processes (plasma synthesis and etching) in order to test new concepts in RF and photonic devices and sensors. In addition to its scientific and technological impact, a major benefit of this interdisciplinary research program is that it provides high level of scientific/technical training to motivated Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP) through a broad set of skills and expertise, ranging from plasma science, materials synthesis, etching and characterization to device fabrication and testing. This HQP will constitute a future pool of expertise for academia and for high-technology Canadian industries.