Physics Special Topics -
PHY 5937
Ion-Solid Interactions
M – W 16:00 to 17:15 - MAP
306
Physics Department
University of Central
Florida
Instructor: Dr. Gabriel Braunstein
MAP 428 – (407)-823-4192
Office Hours: by appointment.
Text: The course is based on notes from several different texts, and the students will have access to the instructor’s notes. However, an excellent book that covers a significant part of the course is:
Fundamentals of Thin Film Analysis, by Leonard C. Feldman and James W. Mayer, North Holland 1986.
Other useful books, for selected sections, are:
Classical Dynamics of Particles and Systems, Third Edition, by Jerry B. Marion and Stephen T. Thornton, Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Inc., 1988.
Ion Implantation, Sputtering and Their Applications, by P. D. Townsend, J. C. Kelly, and N. E. W. Hartley, Academic Press, 1976.
VLSI Technology, edited by S. M. Sze, McGraw-Hill.
Backscattering Spectrometry, by Wei-Kan Chu, James W. Mayer and Marc A. Nicolet, Academic Press, 1978.
Additional bibliography will be suggested in class.
Expectations: this is an advanced level course and, therefore, significant participation and initiative on the part of the students is encouraged and expected. One of the main objectives of the course is to give the students significant experimental training. They are expected to work independently and resourcefully, as well as to be very conscious about safety hazards in the laboratory.
Introduction: Ion beams are extensively used in many scientific and technological applications. These applications range from very basic research in nuclear and atomic physics, intended to understand the nature and properties of matter, to applied work in materials physics to synthesize, modify, process, and characterize materials for high tech applications (for example: ion implantation is used in the production of every integrated circuit, microprocessor, and memory chip). Ion beams are used in a variety of less conventional modes as well, for example in the analysis of pieces of art and archeological artifacts, for geological and environmental studies, to characterize biological specimens, to complement forensic analysis, and many more (did you know that the age of the Shroud of Turin was determined by an ion beam method called accelerator mass spectrometry?). This course will cover the underlying physical principles, and related scientific and technological applications, associated with the interaction of energetic ions with matter. A particular aspect of the course will be its strong experimental emphasis, and up to 2/3 of the course will be devoted to laboratory work. The students will have the opportunity to gain ‘hands-on’ experience in the use of state of the art equipment available at UCF. They will also have the opportunity to select, design, and carry out, their own experimental projects (with instructor supervision), according to their research interests or scientific curiosity. This course will be part of the new nanostructure physics graduate track being developed by the Department of Physics. The course is intended for graduate students and seniors of Physics as well as other departments.
Course Description: This course will cover the underlying physical principles, and related scientific and technological applications, associated with the interaction of energetic ions with matter.
Course Objectives: The goals of the course are to provide the students with the basic theoretical principles that govern ion-solid interactions, practical knowledge of the applications of ion-solid interactions for materials modification and analysis, and hands-on experience in experimental techniques and the use of state of the art equipment.
Course Structure and Grading:
The course will comprise: Partial Grade
Lectures
Homework problems 15%
A computational project (for teams of 2-3 students) 20%
A final project (individual) 20%
Laboratory sessions (for teams of 2-3 students) 25%
A laboratory project (for teams of 2-3 students) 20%
Possibly, a tour of an industrial laboratory
Grading Structure:
A |
87 to 100 % |
B |
75 to 87 % |
C |
60 to 75 % |
D |
50 to 60 % |
F |
0 to 50 % |
Course Contents:
Part 1: Fundamentals
1.1 Introduction
1.1.1 Motion of a single particle
Newton laws
Conservation of energy and momentum
1.1.2 Dynamics of a system of particles
Center of mass
Conservation of energy and momentum
Kinematics of two-particle collisions
Laboratory-center of mass transformations
Elastic collisions
Inelastic collisions
Impulse
1.1.3 The Rutherford scattering formula
The scattering angle
Cross section
1.2 Propagation of energetic particles through matter
1.2.1 Nuclear energy loss
Electronic energy loss
Stopping power
1.3 Modeling of particle propagation in solids
1.3.1 Student projects modeling different aspects
of the propagation of particles in solids
Part 2: Scientific and Technological Applications
2.1 Compositional analysis
The sputtering yield
Sputtering for depth profiling
Description of a SIMS instrument
2.2 Materials modification and processing
2.2.1 Sputtering for thin film deposition
Glow discharge
Basic plasma concepts
DC and RF sputtering
Applications
2.2.2 Ion implantation
Fundamental concepts
Range
Overview of LSS theory
Depth distribution of implanted ions
Depth distribution calculations, tables, computer codes
2.2.3 Radiation damage
The displacement cascade
Kinchin and Pease model of displaced atoms
Accumulation of disorder
Annealing
Description of ion implantation equipment
2.2.4 Applications of ion implantation
Doping of semiconductors
Implantation of metals
Other selected applications
2.3 Ion beam analysis
2.3.1 Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS)
Basic equations
Interpreting a backscattering spectrum
Mass and depth resolution
Applications
2.3.2 Channeling
Basic equations
Determination of lattice disorder
Impurity lattice-site determination
2.3.3 Other techniques
Forward recoil spectrometry (FRS)
Particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE)
Nuclear reaction analysis (NRA)
2.3.4 Ion beam analysis equipment
Accelerators
Beam-lines and scattering chambers
Detectors
Electronics
2.4 Student presentations (this is the equivalent of the final examination)
2.4.1 Student presentations describing various applications of ion-solid interactions. The students will prepare their projects as web presentations to be posted in a course Web page, and they will also deliver a written report and an oral presentation to the instructor and the rest of the class.
Part 3: Laboratory (the laboratory will run in parallel with the lectures, one session - of 3 hours - per week).
This part of the course will consist of a series of lab sessions, designed to familiarize the student with nuclear electronics, thin film deposition (and vacuum techniques), and with the operation of the RBS accelerator located at the Materials Characterization Facility of UCF. Subsequently, the students will be able to select, design, and carry out a short experimental project using the accelerator. Students should prepare before each session by reading the pertinent material, and complete a short lab report at the end of each experiment.
3.1 Introduction (lecture)
a) Handling of radioactive materials
b) Vacuum
c) Nuclear electronics
3.2 Introduction to Nuclear Electronics
a) Set-up a measurement system for nuclear radiation (Gamma radiation or alpha
particles depending on availability of equipment).
b) Measure the energy spectrum of a radioactive source.
3.3 Thin Film Deposition
a) Deposit a thin film of AuPd on silicon (@ MCF).
b) Deposit a thick film of Al on carbon (@ MCF).
3.4 Experiments Using the Ion Accelerator
a) Learn the system.
b) Perform an energy calibration (using the thin films previously deposited).
c) Measure detector resolution and experimental geometry.
d) Determine the composition of the films previously deposited using Rutherford backscattering spectrometry.
3.5 Student Project
a) Students will select and perform a short project (about 2 sessions) using the RBS accelerator (in teams of 2-3 students)