Change in Electrical/Mechanical Properties of Plasma Polymerized Low Dielectric Constant Films after Etching in CF/O Plasma for Semiconductor Multilevel Interconnects.

As semiconductor chips have been integrated to enhance their performance, a low-dielectric-constant material, SiCOH, with a relative dielectric constant ≤ 3.5 has been widely used as an intermetal dielectric (IMD) material in multilevel interconnects to reduce the resistance-capacitance delay. Plasma-polymerized tetrakis(trimethylsilyoxy)silane (ppTTMSS) films were created using capacitively coupled plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition with deposition plasma powers ranging from 20 to 60 W and then etched in CF/O plasma using reactive ion etching.

Inner surface modification of polyurethane ureteral stents using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition to improve the resistance to encrustation in a pig model.

Purpose: We developed a ureteral stent with a non-fouling inner surface using plasma micro-surface modification technology. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of this stent in animal model.

Materials And Methods: Ureteral stents were placed in five Yorkshire pigs.

Enhancement of dielectric performance of encapsulation in barium titanate oxide using size-controlled reduced graphene oxide.

Ferroelectric barium titanate (BTO) powder particles were encapsulated by three different sizes of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) platelets. The size of the graphene oxide (GO) platelets is controlled by varying the horn type ultrasonic times, 0, 30, and 60 min, respectively, and they are reduced with hydrazine to obtain rGO-encapsulated BTO (rGO@BTO) film. The rGO@BTO film exhibits an increase in the dielectric characteristics due to the interfacial polarization.

Inner surface modification of ureteral stent polyurethane tubes based by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition to reduce encrustation and biofilm formation.

Encrustation and/or biofilm formation in ureteral stents are major causes of obstruction and reduce the lifetime of a ureteral stent. In this study, the inner surfaces of polyurethane (PU) tubes (inner and outer diameters of 1.2 and 2.

Enhanced culturing of adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells on surface modified polystyrene Petri dishes fabricated by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition system.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have received considerable attention as therapeutic cells for regenerative medicine and tissue engineering, because of their ability to replace damaged cells or regenerate surrounding cells. There are many technical difficulties in the mass production of high-quality stem cells because the stem cells must maintain an efficient proliferative cell state during in vitro culture. The results of this study show that plasma surface-modification enhanced significantly the culture of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASCs) on the polystyrene (PS) Petri dishes.

Plasma Polymerized SiCOH Films from Octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane by Dual Radio Frequency Inductively Coupled Plasma Chemical Vapor Deposition System.

We have fabricated porous plasma polymerized SiCOH (ppSiCOH) films with low-dielectric constants (low-, less than 2.9), by applying dual radio frequency plasma in inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition (ICP-CVD) system. We varied the power of the low radio frequency (LF) of 370 kHz from 0 to 65 W, while fixing the power of the radio frequency (RF) of 13.

Study on Effects of Carrier Gas Flow Rate on Properties of Low Dielectric Constant Film Deposited by Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition Using the Octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane Precursor.

In semiconductor industry, low-dielectric-constant SiCOH films are widely used as inter-metal dielectric (IMD) material to reduce a resistance-capacitance delay, which could degrade performances of semiconductor chips. Plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) system has been employed to fabricate the low-dielectric-constant SiCOH films. In this work, among various parameters (plasma power, deposition pressure, substrate temperature, precursor injection flow rate, etc.

Surface modification of polystyrene Petri dishes by plasma polymerized 4,7,10-trioxa-1,13-tridecanediamine for enhanced culturing and migration of bovine aortic endothelial cells.

Plasma surface modification is an effective method for changing material properties to control cell behavior on a surface. This study investigates the efficiency of a plasma polymerized 4,7,10-trioxa-1,13-tridecanediamine (ppTTDDA) film coated on a polystyrene (PS) Petri dish, which is a biocompatible surface with carbon- and oxygen-based chemical species. The adhesion, proliferation, and migration properties of bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAECs) were profoundly enhanced in the ppTTDDA-coated PS Petri dishes without extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, when compared with the uncoated PS Petri dishes.

Characterization of Bilayer Organic Solar Cells with Carbon Nanotubes Using Impedance Analysis.

Four organic solar cell (OSC) devices with the bilayer heterojunction architecture were investigated, where carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were doped within the acceptor layer. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the CNT-incorporated device with a concentration of 0.004 wt% is approximately 20% point higher than that of the reference one.

Effects of He/H₂ Plasma Treatment on Properties of SiCOH Films Deposited with the 1,1,1,3,5,7,7,7- Octamethyl-3,5-Bis(Trimethylsiloxy) Tetrasiloxane Precursor.

Low-dielectric-constant SiCOH films fabricated using plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) are widely used as inter-metallic dielectric (IMD) layers in interconnects of semiconductor chips. In this work, SiCOH films were deposited with 1,1,1,3,5,7,7,7-octamethyl-3,5-bis(trimethylsiloxy)tetrasiloxane (OMBTSTS), and plasma treatment was performed by an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) system with mixture of He and H₂. The values of relative dielectric constant () of the as-deposited SiCOH films ranged from 2.

Low- SiCOH Films Deposited with a Single Precursor 1,1,1,3,5,7,7,7 Octamethyl-3,5-Bis(trimethylsiloxy) Tetrasiloxane by Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition.

Low-dielectric-constant SiCOH films were deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition using 1,1,1,3,5,7,7,7-octamethyl-3,5-bis(trimethylsiloxy)tetrasiloxane (OMBTSTS) as a single precursor, and the characteristics were investigated. The relative dielectric constant () of the SiCOH films declined gradually from 3.57 to 1.

Relation of Dielectric Constants and Chemical Structures of Low Dielectric Constant SiCOH Films Deposited by Using Octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane and Tetraethylorthosilicate Precursors.

In case of the conventional SiCOH films, a post-deposition process was used to make pores by vaporization of porogen (e.g., hydrocarbon) for decreasing the dielectric constant.

Stacked Gold Nanodisks for Bimodal Photoacoustic and Optical Coherence Imaging.

Herein, we report on biological imaging nanoprobes: physically synthesized gold nanodisks that have inherent optical advantages-a wide range of resonant wavelengths, tunable ratio of light absorption-to-scattering, and responsiveness to random incident light-due to their two-dimensional circular nanostructure. Based on our proposed physical synthesis where gold is vacuum deposited onto a prepatterned polymer template and released from the substrate in the form of a nanodisk, monodisperse two-dimensional gold nanodisks were prepared with independent control of their diameter and thickness. The optical benefits of the Au nanodisk were successfully demonstrated by the measurement of light absorbance of the nanodisks and the application of stacked nanodisks, where a smaller sized Au nanodisk was laid atop a larger nanodisk, as bimodal contrast agents for photoacoustic microscopy and optical coherence tomography.

Effects of Plasma Polymer Films and Their Deposition Powers on the Barrier Characteristics of the Multilayer Encapsulation for Organic Devices.

Organic electronic devices (OEDs) are quite suitable for use in flexible devices due to their ruggedness and flexibility. A number of researchers have studied the use of OEDs on flexible substrates in transparent, flexible devices in the near future. However, water and oxygen can permeate through the flexible substrates and can reduce the longevity of OEDs made from organic materials, which are weak to moisture and oxygen.

Effects of Bending Radii on the Characteristics of Flexible Organic Solar Cells Investigated by Impedance Analysis.

Flexible organic solar cells (OSCs) were fabricated on an indium-tin-oxide (ITO)/poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) substrate and were subjected to bending tests with various bending radii. We observed that the photovoltaic properties of the OSCs precipitously deteriorated at a bending radius ≤ 0.75 cm.

Low-Temperature Process for Atomic Layer Chemical Vapor Deposition of an Al2O3 Passivation Layer for Organic Photovoltaic Cells.

Flexible organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells have drawn extensive attention due to their light weight, cost efficiency, portability, and so on. However, OPV cells degrade quickly due to organic damage by water vapor or oxygen penetration when the devices are driven in the atmosphere without a passivation layer. In order to prevent damage due to water vapor or oxygen permeation into the devices, passivation layers have been introduced through methods such as sputtering, plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition, and atomic layer chemical vapor deposition (ALCVD).

Angiogenic tube formation of bovine aortic endothelial cells grown on patterns formed by H2/He plasma treatment of the plasma polymerized hexamethyldisiloxane film.

Angiogenesis, the process to generate new vessels, is necessary for normal development in children as well as the wound healing and the tumor growth in adults. Therefore, it is physiologically and/or pathophysiologically significant to monitor angiogenesis. However, classical in vitro methods to evaluate angiogenesis take a long time and are expensive.

Fabrication and characterization of plasma-polymerized poly(ethylene glycol) film with superior biocompatibility.

A newly fabricated plasma-polymerized poly(ethylene glycol) (PP-PEG) film shows extremely low toxicity, low fouling, good durability, and chemical similarity to typical PEG polymers, enabling live cell patterning as well as various bioapplications using bioincompatible materials. The PP-PEG film can be overlaid on any materials via the capacitively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition (CCP-CVD) method using nontoxic PEG200 as a precursor. The biocompatibility of the PP-PEG-coated surface is confirmed by whole blood flow experiments where no thrombi and less serum protein adsorption are observed when compared with bare glass, polyethylene (PE), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) surfaces.

Characterization of low-k dielectric SiCOH films deposited with decamethylcyclopentasiloxane and cyclohexane.

Ultra low-k dielectric SiCOH films were deposited with decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (DMCPSO, C10H30O5Si5) and cyclohexane (C6H12) precursors by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition at the deposition temperature between 25 and 200 degrees C and their chemical composition and deposition kinetics were investigated in this work. Low dielectric constants of 1.9-2.

Hafnium metallocene compounds used as cathode interfacial layers for enhanced electron transfer in organic solar cells.

We have used hafnium metallocene compounds as cathode interfacial layers for organic solar cells [OSCs]. A metallocene compound consists of a transition metal and two cyclopentadienyl ligands coordinated in a sandwich structure. For the fabrication of the OSCs, poly[3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene]:poly(styrene sulfonate), poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) + 66-phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester, bis-(ethylcyclopentadienyl)hafnium(IV) dichloride, and aluminum were deposited as a hole transport layer, an active layer, a cathode interfacial layer, and a cathode, respectively.

Simultaneous plasma and thermal treatments of ITO surfaces for organic solar cells.

Organic solar cells' power conversion efficiency was improved by combined thermal and CF4 plasma surface treatments of indium tin oxide (ITO). This was further enhanced by adding O2 to the CF4 plasma, which increased atomic fluorine concentration. Organic solar cells were produced with layered structures of ITO, spin-cast thin film of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) mixture (100 nm), and Al (100 nm) as top electrode.

Efficiency enhancement of polymer solar cells by patterning nanoscale indium tin oxide layer.

The efficiency of polymer solar cells was improved by patterning indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode layer in this work. Light absorbance was enhanced with ITO layer patterning resulting in the improvement of power conversion efficiency of polymer solar cells. The line-and-space grooved patterns of polystyrene layer are formed on the top of 100 nm thick indium tin oxide layer by capillary force lithography process.

Carbon nanotube patterning with capillary micromolding of catalyst.

Patterning of multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT) in a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) chamber has been achieved by catalyst patterning using capillary micromolding process. Iron acetate catalyst nanoparticles were dissolved in ethanol and mold was fabricated with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The ethanol solution containing catalyst nanoparticles was filled into the microchannel formed between PDMS mold and Si-wafer by capillary force.

Quantitative chemical derivatization technique in time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry for surface amine groups on plasma-polymerized ethylenediamine film.

A chemical derivatization technique in time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) has been developed to quantify the surface density of amine groups of plasma-polymerized ethylenediamine thin film deposited on a glass surface by inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition. Chemical tags of 4-nitrobenzaldehyde or pentafluorobenzaldehyde were hybridized with the surface amine groups and were detected in TOF-SIMS spectra as characteristic molecular secondary ions. The surface amine density was controlled in a reproducible manner as a function of deposition plasma power and was also quantified using UV-visible spectroscopy.

Protein immobilization on plasma-polymerized ethylenediamine-coated glass slides.

For protein chip construction, protein immobilization on the surface of the glass slide is essential. It was previously reported that glass slides are embedded with chemicals that contain primary amines and aldehydes for protein immobilization. We fabricated a plasma-polymerized ethylenediamine (PPEDA)-coated slide that exposed primary amines.