Accession Number:

ADA247560

Title:

The Plasma Physics of Processing Discharges

Descriptive Note:

Memorandum rept.

Corporate Author:

NAVAL RESEARCH LAB WASHINGTON DC

Personal Author(s):

• Manheimer, W. M.

Report Date:

1992-02-28

Pagination or Media Count:

86.0

Abstract:

Plasma processing has grown into a tremendously important industrial capability over the last 20 years, and has done so with virtually no input from traditional plasma physicists. Plasma processing is important in such areas as nanocircuit fabrication, diamond thin film deposition, superconducting film deposition, and nanocube production and deposition. Undoubtedly there are other users in the laboratory also. There are plasma modeling efforts going on in the major industrial users, and university plasma physicists are beginning to set up programs. This memo attempts to set out in fairly simple form as much of the basic theory of processing discharges as is possible given constraints of reasonable length and simplicity. One thing about plasma processing is that it is very much an interdisciplinary area involving at least plasma physics, surface physics, atomic and molecular physics, and chemistry. This memo involves mainly the plasma physics it touches on the atomic physics and chemistry for fairly simple plasmas, and it regards surfaces as passive objects that absorb whatever is incident and mostly do not emit anything. Better plasma processing models must ultimately treat the surface as an active substance which itself affects the plasma.

Descriptors:

• *PLASMAS(PHYSICS)
• *NUCLEAR PHYSICS
• INDUSTRIES
• PRODUCTION
• THEORY
• PASSIVE SYSTEMS
• SURFACES
• DEPOSITION
• MOLECULAR STRUCTURE
• SEMICONDUCTING FILMS
• PHYSICISTS
• UNIVERSITIES
• PHYSICS
• CHEMISTRY
• DIAMONDS
• THIN FILMS
• MODELS
• PROCESSING

Subject Categories:

• Manufacturing and Industrial Engineering and Control of Production Systems
• Plasma Physics and Magnetohydrodynamics

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE