CONTROL OF THIN FILM MICROSTRUCTURES BY GASDYNAMIC ENERGY DEPOSITION

AN INFLUENCE ON THE MICROSTRUCTURE OF THIN FILMS CAN BE OBTAINED DURING FILM GROWTH BY ENERGY DEPOSITION AT THE SURFACE. HIGH SUBSTRATE TEMPERATURE IS NOT ALWAYS DESIRABLE, AND ION BOMBARDMENT INVOLVES LOCALIZED DEPOSITION OF HIGH ENERGY AND THE RISK OF GAS INCLUSION AND SURFACE DAMAGE. A NEW APPROACH TO ENERGY DEPOSITION IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE JET VAPOR DEPOSITION (JVD) TECHNIQUE: THE IMPACT OF GASDYNAMICALLY ACCELERATED NEUTRAL ATOMS AND MOLECULES. THIS TECHNIQUE EMPLOYS SUPERSONIC INERT JETS IN LOW VACUUM FAST FLOWS AS HIGH THROUGHPUT, ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND DEPOSITION SOURCES FOR METALS, SEMICONDUCTORS, DIELECTRICS, AND ORGANICS IN MULTICOMPONENT, ALLOY, OR MULTILAYER FORM. THESE JETS CAN ALSO ACCELERATE HEAVY NEUTRAL SPECIES TO ENERGIES OF SEVERAL ELECTRON VOLTS; THE ENERGY AT IMPACT ON THE SUBSTRATE CAN BE HIGH EVEN IN LOW VACUUM. ENERGIES OF THIS MAGNITUDE PROMOTE SURFACE MOBILITY AND DEFECT-FREE DEPOSITION. IN PHASE I, ONE JET IS USED TO DEPOSIT AND A SECOND JET TO "IMPACT ANNEAL" A FILM MOVING PERIODICALLY PAST BOTH JETS. BOMBARDED AND UNBOMBARDED FILMS WILL BE COMPARED IN ORDER TO DEMONSTRATE THE BENEFITS OF COUPLING LOW TEMPERATURE FILM GROWTH WITH LOW TEMPERATURE, GASDYNAMIC ENERGY DEPOSITION.