As with NEEP 525, a command of mechanics and electicity and magnetism is required to understand the nature of plasmas.

Textbook:

Instructor Notes

References:

B. Chapman, "Glow Discharge Processes"

O. Auciello and D. Flamm, "Plasma Diagnostics: Vol I and II"

D. Manos and D. Flamm, "Plasma Etching: An Introduction"

R. d'Agastino, "Plasma Deposition, Treatment and Etching of Polymers."

Smart and Catherall, "Plasma Spraying"

Course Objectives: It is the instructor's goal to...

teach students the basic properties of low temperature (electron temperatures on the order of 3 eV) gas discharge physics and chemistry.

make students aware of the state-of-the-art in plasma processing.

establish the relationship of process applications over the pressure range of <1 mTorr to > 1 atm.

provide processing tool and plasma diagnostic design experience.

provide students with a good background in fundamentals for a career as a process engineer.

Course Outcomes: Students must be able to...

specify or establish plasma properties over a wide parameter range.

explain the concepts of thermionic emission, secondary emission, ionization, charge exchange, confinement, and stability.

use a combination or resources (class text, class notes and literature) to solve problems.

solve problems involving DC (hot cathode, magnetron, arc jet) and RF (capacitive, inductive, helicon, surface wave, arc jet) sources.

solve problems and develop designs for systems involving plasma etching and thin and thick film deposition.

write a paper based on literature survey of a particular plasma processing technique.

NEEP 528 meets twice a week for conventional 75-minute lectures.

The following statement indicates which of the following considerations are included in this course: economic, environmental, ethical, political, societal, health and safety, manufacturability, sustainability.

NEEP 528 is an introductory course on the use of plasmas in a variety of industrial settings. It has a direct bearing on manufacturing, as plasmas are used either as a key process in the manufacturing itself (semiconductor industry) or as a value-added post-manufacturing process to improve surface characteristics (medical implants, automobile industry)

NEEP 528 is cross-listed with ECE 528 and serves as either a senior level technical elective or a first-year graduate student breadth elective. It is an important course for students intending to make a career as applied plasma physicists, and provides knowledge in a fundamental area (plasma physics) for such students.