Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2013 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, August 4 – August 8, 2013.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2013 in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, August 4 – August 8, 2013.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2012 in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, July 29 – August 2, 2012.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2012 in Phoenix, Arizona, USA, July 29 – August 2, 2012.

Extended abstract of a paper presented at Microscopy and Microanalysis 2008 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA, August 3 – August 7, 2008

Phase change nanodot arrays were fabricated using self-assembly diblock copolymer template PS-b-PMMA (polystyrene-poly (methyl-methacrylate)) and studied by time resolved X-ray diffraction. The size of the nanodots was less than 15nm in diameter with 40nm spacing. This method is quite flexible regarding the patterned materials, and can be used on different substrates. The crystallization behavior of small scale phase change nanodot arrays was studied for different materials, such as Ge15Sb85, Ge2Sb2Te5 and Ag and In doped Sb2Te. It was found that the nanodots had higher crystallization temperatures compared to their corresponding blanket films and crystallized over a broader temperature range.

The fabrication of advanced integrated circuits requires increased accuracy in process monitoring and active control. As higher production yields are required, the technology is moving from statistical process control to in-situ diagnostic techniques. A set of experiments was conducted to explore the feasibility of using radio frequency (RF) impedance probes to detect deviation of electrical characteristics of process chambers during wafer fabrication. A probe was integrated on a plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) chamber to explore the sensitivity of the reactor electrical characteristics on the events of process drift or input parameter variation. We measured RF the voltage, current and harmonics, the phase angle and the impedance magnitude for a capacitively coupled reactor. A single frequency (13.56MHz) process for depositing Si0 2 and a dual frequency (13.56MHz+35OkHz) process for Si3N4 deposition were characterized. We investigated the dependence of the RF signature and process parameters such as RF power, pressure, gas flow and electrode spacing. We observed that there is a correlation between the film properties (especially stress) and the plasma electrical characteristics. Furthermore, RF probes can be used to detect chamber malfunctions such as lost of RF ground or wafer-out-of-pocket events.

The growth of particulates within a PECVD (Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition) reactor has been extensively studied in recent years. As one of the early concerns was wafer particle contamination, the attention of industry also shifted to environmental issues. In the particular case of Si3N4 film deposition, the amount of dust particles created within the plasma is great and a significant amount of dust is dragged out of the RF interelectrode region along with the exhausted process gases. On a production system, this results in solid residues accumulation in the exhaust line (or foreline), frequent maintenance and poor vacuum pump lifetime. We developed a DPA (Downstream Plasma Apparatus) placed downstream of the deposition chamber to solve the issue of solid waste treatment for thin films applications such as SiO2, Si3N4, SiC, SiOxNy,…, α‐Si,…). The DPA is designed to capture all the residue during deposition, using both a passive and an active mode. It consists of two labyrinth‐shaped electrodes that can trap particles by gravitation (passive) and electrostatically (active) by application of a DC electric field. The second function of the device is to vaporize the previously trapped residues using a periodic plasma assisted clean. The vaporization process is performed by re‐ionizing the effluent PFCs gas (PerFluoro‐Coumpounds) from the processing chamber. All byproducts of the reaction are gaseous and water soluble. This results in the elimination of solid waste as well as improving vacuum pump lifetime. There is also better clean gas utilization and the emission of PFCs in the atmosphere is reduced. In this paper, we review the particulate formation, their size and composition. We describe the DPA reactor designed to trap charged particulates with closed to 100% efficiency. We examine the plasma‐assisted cleaning process and the implications of the device in terms of solid waste treatment and environmental impact.

We describe a novel means for the production of optically active planar waveguides. The technique makes use of a low energy plasma deposition. Cathodic-arc-produced metal plasmas are used for the metallic components of the films and gases are added to form compound films. Here we discuss the synthesis of A12-xErxO3 thin films. The erbium concentration (x) can vary from 0 to 100% and the thickness of the film can be from Angstroms to microns. In such material, at high active center concentration (x=l% to 20%), erbium ions give rise to room temperature 1.53μm emission which has minimum loss in silica-based optical fibers. With this technique, multilayer integrated planar waveguide structures can be grown, such as Al2O3/Al2-xErO3/A12O3/Si, for example.

Ion implantation by intense beams of metal ions can be accomplished using the dense metal plasma formed in a vacuum arc discharge embodied either in a vacuum arc ion source or in a ‘metal plasma immersion’ configuration. In the former case high energy metal ion beams are formed and implantation is done in a more-or-less conventional way, and in the latter case the substrate is immersed in the plasma and repetitively pulse-biased so as to accelerate the ions at the high voltage plasma sheath formed at the substrate. A number of advances have been made in the last few years, both in plasma technology and in the surface modification procedures, that enhance the effectiveness and versatility of the methods, including for example: controlled increase of the ion charge states produced; operation in a dual metal-gaseous ion species mode; very large area beam formation; macroparticle filtering; and the development of processing regimes for optimizing adhesion, morphology and structure. These complementary ion processing techniques provide the plasma tools for doing ion surface modification over a very wide parameter regime, from ‘pure’ ion implantation at energies approaching the MeV level, through ion mixing at energies in the ∼1 to ∼100 keV range, to IBAD-like processing at energies from a few tens of eV to a few keV. Here we review the methods, describe a number of recent developments, and outline some of the surface modification applications to which the methods have been put.

Calcium fluoride thin films grown on silicon substrates by sublimation under ultra high vacuum are well known to be highly efficient hosts for rare earth luminescence properties. For this reason we incorporate erbium by ion implantation in order to form optoelectronic integrated devices. Here we describe the incorporation conditions of erbium in CaF2/Si structures and their luminescence characteristics. The properties of the material have been investigated for implantation doses varying from 4×1014 to 1×1017 at.cm−2. The role of oxygen in the charge compensation mechanisms is investigated and it is shown that the maximum emission in erbium at 1.53μm occurs for an implanted dose of 2×1016 at.cm−2. This corresponds to an Er concentration three orders of magnitude greater than for the case of classical-erbium-doped semiconductors. At this high concentration (up to 15 at.%) the light emission mechanisms are of great theoretical interest. They involve strong Er-Er coupling effects: energy transfer, cross-relaxation phenomena and high conversion efficiencies.

These properties make erbium-implanted CaF2/Si structures excellent candidates for the production of optically active waveguides. The guiding structure can be formed by high energy implantation to build a buried active region of high refractive index within the CaF2 thin film.

Ca1-xErxF2+x thin films, with a substitution rate, x, varying from 1 to 20%, were deposited on Si(100) substrates by sublimation of high purity solid solution powders under ultra-high-vacuum. Rutherford backscattering studies have shown that the films have the composition of the initial solid solution powders, are quite homogeneous and are epitaxially grown on the substrates.

The optical properties of these films were studied by means of cathodoluminescence and photoluminescence. At room temperature, the emissions due to the de-excitations from the 4S3/2, 4F9/2, 4I11/2 and 4I13/2 excited levels to the 4I15/2 ground state of Er3+ (4f11) ions are easily detected (λ = 0.548, 0.66, 0.98 and 1.53 μm)

The strong 1.53 μm infrared luminescence, which presents evident potential applications for optical communications, is maximum for an erbium substitution rate included between 15 and 17%. These Er concentrations are three or four orders of magnitude greater than the optimum ones in the case of Er-doped semiconductors, which are close to 1018 cm-3. In the visible range, the luminescences are also important.They allow us to detect high energy ion or electron beams. However their maximum efficiencies were observed for a relatively low erbium concentration, close to 1%. These different behaviours are explained by the cross relaxation phenomena, which depopulate the higher levels to the benefit of the 4I13/2 → 4I15/2 transition.

The energy distribution of the Stark sublevels of the 4I15/2 state, which results from crystal field splitting, was deduced from a photoluminescence study at 2K. The obtained results show that the environment of the luminescent centres does not change with the erbium concentration.

At last, it must be noted that the refractive index of the layers increases with the erbium concentration, leading to the realization of optical guides. Consequently opto-electronic components could be developed from such erbium doped heterostructures.

Erbium-substituted Srl-xErxF2+x strontium fluoride layers were grown on InP(100) substrates by sublimation under ultra-high vacuum of high purity solid solution powders.

Their composition and the spatial distribution of the basic components were deduced from Rutherford backscattering (RBS), using a nuclear microprobe, and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). For x lower than 20% it is shown that the film composition is analogous with the initial sintered material and quite homogeneous. The ageing in air of the films was followed by infrared absorption studies. No significant water adsorption was revealed.

The texture of the layers was studied by RBS in channelling condition. For x as high as 15% it is shown that the films are well crystallized and well epitaxially grown on InP (100) substrates.

Infrared emission due to the 4I13/2-4I15/2 electronic transition on the 4f11 inner shells of Er3+ ions (1.53μm), which presents potential applications for optical communications, was studied at room temperature as a function of x. It is demonstrated that the highest luminescence efficiency of these layers corresponds to x upper than 20%.

Ca1−xErxF2+x thin films, with a substitution rate, x, varying from 1 to 20%, were deposited on Si(100) substrates by sublimation of high purity solid solution powders under ultra-high-vacuum. Rutherford backscattering studies have shown that the films have the composition of the initial solid solution powders, are quite homogeneous and are epitaxially grown on the substrates.

The optical properties of these films were studied by means of cathodoluminescence and photoluminescence. At room temperature, the emissions due to the de-excitations from the 4S3/2, 4F9/2, 4I11/2 and 4I13/2 excited levels to the 4I15/2 ground state of Er 3+ (4f11) ions are easily detected (λ = 0.548, 0.66, 0.98 and 1.53 µm)

The strong 1.53 µm infrared luminescence, which presents evident potential applications for optical communications, is maximum for an erbium substitution rate included between 15 and 17%. These Er concentrations are three or four orders of magnitude greater than the optimum ones in the case of Er-doped semiconductors, which are close to 1018 cm−3.In the visible range, the luminescences are also important.They allow us to detect high energy ion or electron beams. However their maximum efficiencies were observed for a relatively low erbium concentration, close to 1%. These different behaviours are explained by the cross relaxation phenomena, which depopulate the higher levels to the benefit of the 4I13/2→ 4I15/2 transition. The energy distribution of the Stark sublevels of the 4I15/2 state, which results from crystal field splitting, was deduced from a photoluminescence study at 2K. The obtained results show that the environment of the luminescent centres does not change with the erbium concentration.

At last, it must be noted that the refractive index of the layers increases with the erbium concentration, leading to the realization of optical guides. Consequently opto-electronic components could be developed from such erbium doped heterostructures.