Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) has become a key technology in both the lab and the fab with many devices and other applications benefiting from the (ultra)thin films that can be prepared with very precise thickness control and with unparalleled conformality and uniformity. Nowadays, a significant number of the ALD processes employed are so-called plasma-assisted or plasma-enhanced ALD processes. In the last decade, this method has faced a breakthrough in high-volume manufacturing and an extensive set of processes and reactor designs have been demonstrated. Yet the reasons why and when to use plasma-assisted ALD are often not clear as well what kind of plasma configurations to use and which conditions to apply. Also, misconceptions about the implications of using plasmas during ALD exist, for example with respect to plasma damage and limitations of conformality. This webinar will address these aspects starting with the basics of ALD and plasma-based processing and will range up to the applications that can benefit from plasma-assisted ALD.

Webinar Objectives:

• Provide the basic concepts of plasma-based processing and thin film preparation by (plasma-assisted) ALD
• Gain knowledge on the role of reactive and energetic species such as radicals, ions, and photons on the process and resulting film properties, including film conformality on 3D surface topologies
• Present an overview of plasma ALD reactors and discuss important design and processes parameters
• Discuss several plasma-assisted ALD processes for key material systems
• Give insight into existing and potential future applications of plasma-assisted ALD
• Understand the pros and cons of plasma-assisted ALD with respect to thermal ALD

Erwin Kessels is a Professor at the Eindhoven University of Technology TU/e and he is the scientific director of the NanoLab@TU/e clean room facilities. Erwin received his M.Sc. and Ph.D. degree in Applied Physics from the TU/e in 1996 and 2000, respectively. His research interests cover the field of synthesis of ultrathin films and nanostructures using methods such as (plasma-enhanced)  atomic layer deposition (ALD) and atomic layer etching (ALE). He has contributed most prominently by his work on plasma-assisted ALD, his research related to ALD for photovoltaics, and ALD for nanopatterning (including area-selective ALD). Erwin has won several awards (the AVS Peter Mark Memorial Award in 2007; the ALD Innovation Award in 2019) and he has organized various conferences in the field of ALD and ALE. He is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology. He is also the driving force behind the AtomicLimits.com blog and the founder of the ALD Academy.

This webinar is intended for researchers, students, technologists and others involved or interested in atomic layer deposition (ALD) of thin films and who are looking to gain an understanding or broaden their knowledge on how the use of plasma-assisted ALD can be beneficial for certain materials and applications. The webinar will be valuable for a large audience, from young scientists to engineers, even if their starting knowledge of plasma-based processing or ALD is limited.  

Each webinar includes a link to a pdf file of the copyrighted webinar notes. During the webinar you may ask questions. Presenter(s) will review and answer them periodically throughout the presentation. 

You must be present the day of the webinar, recorded versions will not be available.