Sumit Agarwal

Bio: Sumit Agarwal is an academic researcher from Colorado School of Mines. The author has contributed to research in topics: Silicon & Atomic layer deposition. The author has an hindex of 25, co-authored 90 publications receiving 1868 citations. Previous affiliations of Sumit Agarwal include University of Massachusetts Amherst & National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Mechanism of hydrogen-induced crystallization of amorphous silicon

Abstract: Hydrogenated amorphous and nanocrystalline silicon films manufactured by plasma deposition techniques are used widely in electronic and optoelectronic devices1,2. The crystalline fraction and grain size of these films determines electronic and optical properties; the nanocrystal nucleation mechanism, which dictates the final film structure, is governed by the interactions between the hydrogen atoms of the plasma and the solid silicon matrix. Fundamental understanding of these interactions is important for optimizing the film structure and properties. Here we report the mechanism of hydrogen-induced crystallization of hydrogenated amorphous silicon films during post-deposition treatment with an H2 (or D2) plasma. Using molecular-dynamics simulations3,4 and infrared spectroscopy5, we show that crystallization is mediated by the insertion of H atoms into strained Si–Si bonds as the atoms diffuse through the film. This chemically driven mechanism may be operative in other covalently bonded materials, where the presence of hydrogen leads to disorder-to-order transitions.

Surface reaction mechanisms during ozone and oxygen plasma assisted atomic layer deposition of aluminum oxide

Abstract: We have elucidated the reaction mechanism and the role of the reactive intermediates in the atomic layer deposition (ALD) of aluminum oxide from trimethyl aluminum in conjunction with O(3) and an O(2) plasma. In situ attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy data show that both -OH groups and carbonates are formed on the surface during the oxidation cycle. These carbonates, once formed on the surface, are stable to prolonged O(3) exposure in the same cycle. However, in the case of plasma-assisted ALD, the carbonates decompose upon prolonged O(2) plasma exposure via a series reaction kinetics of the type, A (CH(3)) --> B (carbonates) --> C (Al(2)O(3)). The ratio of -OH groups to carbonates on the surface strongly depends on the oxidizing agent, and also the duration of the oxidation cycle in plasma-assisted ALD. However, in both O(3) and O(2) plasma cycles, carbonates are a small fraction of the total number of reactive sites compared to the hydroxyl groups.

Well ordered polymer melts from blends of disordered triblock copolymer surfactants and functional homopolymers

Abstract: Addition of a functional homopolymer induces disorder-to-order transition in commercially available Pluronic surfactant melts. This approach may facilitate the use of amphiphilic surfactants in the industrial fabrication of structured nanomaterials.

Absolute densities of N and excited N2 in a N2 plasma

Abstract: Atomic N and excited N2 (N2*) play important roles in plasma-assisted synthesis of nitride materials, such as GaN. Absolute densities of N and N2* were measured at the substrate plane in an inductively coupled N2 plasma in the pressure range of 10 to 200 mTorr using modulated-beam line-of-sight threshold ionization mass spectrometry. The density of N increased with increasing pressure from 2.9×1018 to 1.8×1019 m−3, while the density of N2* was in the range of 9.7×1017 to 2.4×1018 m−3, with a maximum at 50 mTorr. Based on the appearance potential of N2* at ∼12 eV, we identify this excited molecule as long-lived N2 (A3Σu+) metastable.

Low-Temperature Conformal Atomic Layer Deposition of SiNx Films Using Si2Cl6 and NH3 Plasma

Abstract: A plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (ALD) process was developed for the growth of SiNx thin films using Si2Cl6 and NH3 plasma. At substrate temperatures ≤400 °C, we show that this ALD process leads to films with >95% conformality over high aspect ratio nanostructures with a growth per cycle of ∼1.2 A. The film growth mechanism was studied using in situ attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Our data show that on the SiNx growth surface, Si2Cl6 reacts with surface −NH2 groups to form surface −NH species, which are incorporated into the growing film. In the subsequent half cycle, radicals generated in the NH3 plasma abstract surface Cl atoms, and restore an NHx (x = 1,2)-terminated surface. Surface Si–N–Si bonds are also primarily formed during the NH3 plasma half-cycle. The infrared data and Rutherford backscattering combined with hydrogen forward scattering shows that the films contain ∼23% H atoms primarily incorporated as −NH groups.

Fast parallel algorithms for short-range molecular dynamics

Abstract: Three parallel algorithms for classical molecular dynamics are presented. The first assigns each processor a fixed subset of atoms; the second assigns each a fixed subset of inter-atomic forces to compute; the third assigns each a fixed spatial region. The algorithms are suitable for molecular dynamics models which can be difficult to parallelize efficiently—those with short-range forces where the neighbors of each atom change rapidly. They can be implemented on any distributed-memory parallel machine which allows for message-passing of data between independently executing processors. The algorithms are tested on a standard Lennard-Jones benchmark problem for system sizes ranging from 500 to 100,000,000 atoms on several parallel supercomputers--the nCUBE 2, Intel iPSC/860 and Paragon, and Cray T3D. Comparing the results to the fastest reported vectorized Cray Y-MP and C90 algorithm shows that the current generation of parallel machines is competitive with conventional vector supercomputers even for small problems. For large problems, the spatial algorithm achieves parallel efficiencies of 90% and a 1840-node Intel Paragon performs up to 165 faster than a single Cray C9O processor. Trade-offs between the three algorithms and guidelines for adapting them to more complex molecular dynamics simulations are also discussed.

Crystallinity of inorganic films grown by atomic layer deposition: Overview and general trends

Abstract: Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is gaining attention as a thin film deposition method, uniquely suitable for depositing uniform and conformal films on complex three-dimensional topographies. The deposition of a film of a given material by ALD relies on the successive, separated, and self-terminating gas–solid reactions of typically two gaseous reactants. Hundreds of ALD chemistries have been found for depositing a variety of materials during the past decades, mostly for inorganic materials but lately also for organic and inorganic–organic hybrid compounds. One factor that often dictates the properties of ALD films in actual applications is the crystallinity of the grown film: Is the material amorphous or, if it is crystalline, which phase(s) is (are) present. In this thematic review, we first describe the basics of ALD, summarize the two-reactant ALD processes to grow inorganic materials developed to-date, updating the information of an earlier review on ALD [R. L. Puurunen, J. Appl. Phys. 97, 121301 (2005)], and give an overview of the status of processing ternary compounds by ALD. We then proceed to analyze the published experimental data for information on the crystallinity and phase of inorganic materials deposited by ALD from different reactants at different temperatures. The data are collected for films in their as-deposited state and tabulated for easy reference. Case studies are presented to illustrate the effect of different process parameters on crystallinity for representative materials: aluminium oxide, zirconium oxide, zinc oxide, titanium nitride, zinc zulfide, and ruthenium. Finally, we discuss the general trends in the development of film crystallinity as function of ALD process parameters. The authors hope that this review will help newcomers to ALD to familiarize themselves with the complex world of crystalline ALD films and, at the same time, serve for the expert as a handbook-type reference source on ALD processes and film crystallinity.

Plasma-Assisted Atomic Layer Deposition: Basics, Opportunities, and Challenges

Abstract: Plasma-assisted atomic layer deposition (ALD) is an energy-enhanced method for the synthesis of ultra-thin films with A-level resolution in which a plasma is employed during one step of the cyclic deposition process. The use of plasma species as reactants allows for more freedom in processing conditions and for a wider range of material properties compared with the conventional thermally-driven ALD method. Due to the continuous miniaturization in the microelectronics industry and the increasing relevance of ultra-thin films in many other applications, the deposition method has rapidly gained popularity in recent years, as is apparent from the increased number of articles published on the topic and plasma-assisted ALD reactors installed. To address the main differences between plasma-assisted ALD and thermal ALD, some basic aspects related to processing plasmas are presented in this review article. The plasma species and their role in the surface chemistry are addressed and different equipment configurations, including radical-enhanced ALD, direct plasma ALD, and remote plasma ALD, are described. The benefits and challenges provided by the use of a plasma step are presented and it is shown that the use of a plasma leads to a wider choice in material properties, substrate temperature, choice of precursors, and processing conditions, but that the processing can also be compromised by reduced film conformality and plasma damage. Finally, several reported emerging applications of plasma-assisted ALD are reviewed. It is expected that the merits offered by plasma-assisted ALD will further increase the interest of equipment manufacturers for developing industrial-scale deposition configurations such that the method will find its use in several manufacturing applications.

FTIR Spectroscopy for Carbon Family Study

Abstract: Fourier transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy is a versatile technique for the characterization of materials belonging to the carbon family. Based on the interaction of the IR radiation with matter this technique may be used for the identification and characterization of chemical structures. Most important features of this method are: non-destructive, real-time measurement and relatively easy to use. Carbon basis for all living systems has found numerous industrial applications from carbon coatings (i.e. amorphous and nanocrystalline carbon films: diamond-like carbon (DLC) films) to nanostructured materials (fullerenes, nanotubes, graphene) and carbon materials at nanoscale or carbon dots (CDots). In this paper, we present the FTIR vibrational spectroscopy for the characterization of diamond, amorphous carbon, graphite, graphene, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), fullerene and carbon quantum dots (CQDs), without claiming to cover entire field.