Ricky K.Y. Fu

Activation of platelets adhered on amorphous hydrogenated carbon (a-C:H) films synthesized by plasma immersion ion implantation-deposition (PIII-D)

Amorphous carbon films have attracted much attention recently due to their good biocompatibility. Diamond-like carbon (DLC), one form of amorphous carbon that is widely used in many kinds of industries, has been proposed for use in blood contacting medical devices. However, the blood coagulation mechanism on DLC in a biological environment is not well understood. Platelet adhesion and activation are crucial events in the interactions between blood and the materials as they influence the subsequent formation of thrombus. In this work, the behavior of platelets adhered onto hydrogenated amorphous carbon films (a-C:H) is investigated. Hydrogenated amorphous carbon films with different hydrogen contents, structures, and chemical bonds were fabricated at room temperature using plasma immersion ion implantation-deposition (PIII-D). The wettability of the films was investigated by contact angle measurements using several common liquids. Platelet adhesion experiments were conducted to examine the interaction of blood with the films in vitro and the activation of adherent platelets. The results show that the behavior of the platelets adhered on the a-C:H films is influenced by their structure and chemical bond, and it appears that protein interaction plays a key role in the activation of the adherent platelets.

Current transport studies of ZnO∕p-Si heterostructures grown by plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition

Rectifying undoped and nitrogen-doped ZnO∕p-Si heterojunctions were fabricated by plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition. The undoped and nitrogen-doped ZnO films were n type (n∼1019cm−3) and highly resistive (resistivity ∼105Ωcm), respectively. While forward biasing the undoped-ZnO∕p-Si, the current follows Ohmic behavior if the applied bias Vforward is larger than ∼0.4V. However, for the nitrogen-doped-ZnO∕p-Si sample, the current is Ohmic for Vforward 2.5V. The transport properties of the undoped-ZnO∕p-Si and the N-doped-ZnO∕p-Si diodes were explained in terms of the Anderson model and the space charge limited current model, respectively.Rectifying undoped and nitrogen-doped ZnO∕p-Si heterojunctions were fabricated by plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition. The undoped and nitrogen-doped ZnO films were n type (n∼1019cm−3) and highly resistive (resistivity ∼105Ωcm), respectively. While forward biasing the undoped-ZnO∕p-Si, the current follows Ohmic behavior if the applied bias Vforward is larger than ∼0.4V. However, for the nitrogen-doped-ZnO∕p-Si sample, the current is Ohmic for Vforward 2.5V. The transport properties of the undoped-ZnO∕p-Si and the N-doped-ZnO∕p-Si diodes were explained in terms of the Anderson model and the space charge limited current model, respectively.

Numerical study of self-heating effects of MOSFETs fabricated on SOAN substrate

A two-dimensional numerical analysis is performed to investigate the self-heating effects of metal-oxide-silicon field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) fabricated in silicon-on-aluminum nitride (SOAN) substrate. The electrical characteristics and temperature distribution are simulated and compared to those of bulk and standard silicon-on-insulator (SOI) MOSFETs. The SOAN devices are shown to have good leakage and subthreshold characteristics. Furthermore, the channel temperature and negative differential resistance are reduced during high-temperature operation, suggesting that SOAN can mitigate the self-heating penalty effectively. Our study suggests that AlN is a suitable alternative to silicon dioxide as the buried dielectric in SOI, and expands the applications of SOI to high temperature.

Influence of thickness and dielectric properties on implantation efficacy in plasma immersion ion implantation of insulators

Plasma immersion ion implantation of insulators is an interesting topic both theoretically and industrially. The net energy of the incident ions is dictated by the surface potential and for conductors is equal to the voltage applied to the backside or sample stage. However, the poor electrical conductivity of insulating materials can lead not only to charging during ion bombardment but also reduced surface potential due to the capacitance effect. In the work described in this paper, we theoretically and experimentally investigate the influence of the thickness and dielectric properties of insulating materials on the implantation efficacy. The use of mesh-assisted PIII by covering the insulating materials with an electrically conducting cage to enhance the implantation efficacy is also compared experimentally. Our theoretical results suggest that a low plasma density induces less surface charges and higher surface potential. Our experimental data show good agreement with the theoretical results and mesh-as...

Charging of dielectric substrate materials during plasma immersion ion implantation

We have investigated the electrostatic charging effects of dielectric substrate materials during plasma immersion ion implantation. The results demonstrate that the time-dependent surface potential (negative) may be reduced in magnitude due to the charging effect of the dielectric surface, leading in turn to a reduction in the energy of the incident ions and a broadening of the implanted ion energy spectrum. The charging effect is greater during the plasma immersion bias pulse rise-time, and the electrostatic potential charging may be as large as 75% of the total applied (pulse) potential. This is due to abundant charge movement both of ions and secondary electrons, and has been confirmed by computer simulation. The plasma sheath capacitance has a small influence on the surface potential, via the bias pulse rise-time. Processing parameters, for example voltage, pulse duration, plasma density, and pulse rise-time, have a critical influence on the charging effects. Short pulse duration, high pulse frequency and low plasma density are beneficial from the viewpoint of maximizing the implantation ion energy.

Oxygen-induced nickel segregation in nitrogen plasma implanted AISI 304 stainless steel

Austenite stainless steel is widely used commercially due to its superior corrosion resistance. Plasma surface treatment has been shown to improve the wear resistance of the materials without degrading the corrosion resistance. Plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) is a special form of plasma treatment in which the ion energy can be adjusted easily and its non-line-of-sight characteristic makes it suitable for large industrial components possessing an irregular geometry. We observe nickel segregation beneath the top surface in nitrogen plasma immersion ion implanted AISI 304 stainless steel. The amount of segregated nickel and the location depend on the implantation conditions. The phenomenon can be attributed to oxygen-induced surface segregation despite the use of high-purity (99.999%) nitrogen in our experiments. The Auger results indicate that the sample surface has been unexpectedly oxidized in spite of a very small amount of oxygen in the residual vacuum. This is due to the non-UHV (ultra-high vacuum) nature of PIII instruments and the reactive plasma environment. It is believed that the movement of the nickel atoms away from the surface is due to the higher affinity of oxygen to Cr or Fe than Ni. Our investigation also shows that the phenomenon is not related to nitrogen incorporation. As the properties of the treated sample depend on many factors, nickel segregation must be considered in designing PIII experiments.

Enhancement of implantation energy using a conducting grid in plasma immersion ion implantation of dielectric/polymeric materials

Plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) is conducted on insulating materials using a conducting grid to enhance the ion implantation energy. The biased grid that is connected to the sample holder enshrouds the insulating specimens, and ions from the overlying plasma are implanted through the grid into the samples. The implantation voltage is applied to the grid via the sample platen so problems associated with PIII of insulating materials such as capacitance and charging (and secondary electrons) effects can be greatly alleviated. In the work reported here, we investigate the efficacy of the grid approach. Secondary ion mass spectrometry is used to determine the nitrogen depth profiles. Simulation indicates that for insulating specimens that are plasma implanted without the conducting grid, the maximum nitrogen ion energy is only about 23 keV for an applied voltage of 40 kV while it improves to 30 keV in the presence of the grid. The experimental results are consistent with the surface potentials derived...

Synthesis and optical properties of germanium nanorod array fabricated on porous anodic alumina and Si-based templates

A large quantity of monocrystalline germanium nanorods and their arrays were produced on a porous anodic alumina (PAA) template utilizing saturated vapor adsorption, during which the Ge gas pressure was saturated at a high temperature in an airtight quartz tube. Raman scattering and photoluminescence (PL) results were acquired from the Ge nanorod array and discussed in details. Using Si-based PAA template with 25 nm nanopores, Si-based Ge nanorod array with a large area (larger than 1×1cm2) was obtained and the quantum confinement effect is demonstrated in Raman spectrum.

Thermal stability of diamondlike carbon buried layer fabricated by plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition in silicon on insulator

Diamondlike carbon (DLC) as a potential low-cost substitute for diamond has been extended to microelectronics and we have demonstrated the fabrication of silicon on diamond (SOD) as a silicon-on-insulator structure using plasma immersion ion implantation and deposition in conjunction with layer transfer and wafer bonding. The thermal stability of our SOD structure was found to be better than that expected for conventional DLC films. In the work reported here, we investigate the mechanism of the enhanced thermal stability. We compare the thermal stability of exposed and buried DLC films using Raman spectroscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Our Raman analysis indicates that the obvious separation of the D and G peaks indicative of nanocrystalline graphite emerges at 500°C in the exposed DLC film. In contrast, the separation appears in the buried DLC film only at annealing temperatures above 800°C. Analysis of the XPS C1s core-level spectra shows that the (sp3+C–H) carbon content of the unprot...

Damage in hydrogen plasma implanted silicon

The damage and defects created in silicon by hydrogen plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) are not the same as those generated by conventional beamline ion implantation due to the difference in the ion energy distribution and lack of mass selection in PIII. Defect generation must be well controlled because damage in the implanted and surface zones can easily translate into defects in the silicon-on-insulator structures synthesized by the PIII/wafer bonding/ion-cut process. The defect formation and its change with annealing temperature were investigated experimentally employing channeling Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, secondary ion mass spectrometry, and atomic-force microscopy. We also calculated the damage energy density of the three dominant hydrogen species in the plasma (H+, H2+, and H3+) as well as displacement of silicon atoms in the silicon wafer. H2+ creates the most damage because its damage energy density is very close to the silicon threshold energy. The effects of atmospheric gas...