This book discusses the fundamental principles of partially ionized, chemically reactive plasma discharges and their use in thin-film processing. Plasma processing is a high-technology discipline born out of the need to access a parameter space in materials processing unattainable by strictly chemical methods. The field is interdisciplinary, combining the areas of plasma physics, surface science, gas-phase chemistry, and atomic molecular physics. The common theme is the creation and use of plasmas to activate a chain of chemical reactions at a substrate surface. Our treatment is mainly restricted to discharges at low pressures, < 1 Torr, which deliver activation energy, but not heat, to the surface. Plasma-based surface processes are indispensable for manufacturing the integrated circuits used by the electronics industry, and we use thin-film processes drawn from this field as examples. Plasma processing is also an important technology in the aerospace, automotive, steel, biomedical, and toxic waste management industries.
Principles of Plasma Discharges and Materials Processing is available through the ASUC Bookstore (510) 642-0700
Publisher:
John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
605 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10158-0012
An Errata is available: download pdf file.