2003 IRISH SCIENTIST YEAR BOOK

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Dublin City University
Miles Turner
PlasMAC - Plasma Formation Measurement and Control

Plasma is a state of matter with remarkable physical and chemical properties: the basis of a wide range of industrial processes that are both unique and of extraordinary economic significance. Examples are in the arenas of semiconductor device manufacturing, aerospace, and biomedical engineering. Plasma technology is likely to underpin any practical nano-manufacturing. A new programme, Plasma Formation Measurement and Control - PlasMAC, was recently established at DCU with the aid of a �5million grant from Science Foundation Ireland.

This programme addresses the semiconductor device industry, but anticipates spin-off benefits in other areas. The semiconductor industry has delivered faster and cheaper devices for more than thirty years. This has been achieved by processing larger silicon wafers and shrinking the feature size of typical devices. At present, 300 mm diameter wafers are being introduced, and feature sizes less than 100 nm are shortly expected. The atomic scale places a limit on progress in this direction: indeed some critical dimensions are already as little as 2 nm. Nevertheless, it is anticipated that the present rate of progress will be sustained until at least 2020, partly by reductions in feature size and increases in wafer size. Crucially, major changes in the materials used are expected.

The contribution of plasma science to the semiconductor industry falls under the rubric of 'front end processing', and progress in this important area for research and innovation is expected to be critical. Productivity advances driven by advanced process control are also expected to be essential components in future semiconductor manufacturing.

The central thrust of PlasMAC addresses these opportunities by harnessing fundamental understanding of plasma behaviour to deep knowledge of the possibilities of advanced process control. World-class academic expertise in plasma science (at DCU) and process control technology (at NUI Maynooth) with leaders in the Irish and the world economies are combined. Intel Ireland Ltd is the dominant manufacturer of microchips in the world and the largest high technology employer in Ireland. Lam Research Corporation is one of the largest plasma etch equipment manufacturers in the world. Scientific Systems Ltd is a rapidly growing indigenous vendor of sensors and process control solutions for the plasma processing industry. The partners in this programme believe that it will make a substantial contribution to meeting the challenge ahead, at the same time making an impact on economic and social development in Ireland.

Contact: Dr Bert Ellingboe; E-mail: [email protected] ;
or Professor Miles Turner; E-mail: [email protected]