| AVS 64th International Symposium & Exhibition | |
| Plasma Science and Technology Division | Tuesday Sessions |
| Session PS+SS-TuA |
| Session: | The Science of Plasmas and Surfaces: Commemorating the Career of Harold Winters (ALL INVITED SESSION) |
| Presenter: | Erwin Kessels, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands |
| Authors: | V. Vandalon, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands M.C.M. van de Sanden, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands W.M.M. Kessels, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
The profound contributions of Harald Winters and John Coburn to the field of plasma etching have inspired us at the Eindhoven University of Technology to study the surface-science aspects of plasma deposition. The latter has been an overarching theme within our research in the last two decades. It started with investigations of the growth mechanism of amorphous carbon and silicon films prepared by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) and it resulted even in beam-experiment-type studies using advanced real-time diagnostic probes in a dedicated high vacuum reactor [1]. The interest in understanding the surface reactions during film growth was also the motivation to step into the field of atomic layer deposition (ALD). ALD film growth is truly ruled by surface chemistry and, inspired by work of others, we recognized that the ALD field could greatly benefit from plasma-assisted processes [2]. Like in other cases of (plasma-based) film growth, a detailed understanding of the surface-science aspects is key to take advantage of all opportunities the method provides. This has been the driver for many experimental studies of the film growth by thermal and plasma ALD using a wide variety of gas phase and surface diagnostics [3]. It has also been the trigger to set up nonlinear optical studies of the surface processes during ALD, culminating in advanced broadband sum-frequency generation (SFG) studies [4]. In this contribution, the historical perspective of our research will be sketched and some recent highlights will be presented.
[1] See for example, J.J.H. Gielis et al., Phys. Rev. B 77, 205329 (2008).
[2] See the review paper by H.B. Profijt et al., J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A. 29, 050801 (2011).
[3] See for example, Heil et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 89, 131505 (2006) and Langereis et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 92, 231904 (2008).
[4] See for example V. Vandalon and W.M.M. Kessels, Appl. Phys. Lett. 108, 011607 (2016).