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PPPL recently launched a new initiative in non-equilibrium plasma (NEP) science and technology with a focus on applications associated with key industries of the future (IotF), including semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) device manufacturing and materials associated with quantum information science (QIS). Multisector, cross-community partnerships with leading U.S. plasma semiconductor equipment suppliers and Princeton University have been started to support this initiative. The main challenge for NEP technologies in IC manufacture is atomistic control of chemical and material transformations at surfaces. This capability is also needed for future QIS device manufacturability, so fundamental research on NEP for future IC device manufacture is directly applicable to practical manufacturing of QIS devices.
The big challenge for NEP is that it is chemically complex and often difficult to control. It took decades of research and development by plasma, surface, materials and device scientists and engineers to approach nm-scale precision processing with Si-based materials. The task of developing nm-scale processes for Si device manufacture is not complete, but next-generation IC manufacturing will also require significant changes in materials: i.e. 'post-Si materials.' The combination of new materials and increasingly, atomistic precision, challenges the current state-of-the-art in plasma technologies used for IC manufacture today.
There are even bigger challenges for QIS materials and devices, especially when contemplating the need for developing devices with thousands or even millions of qubits. QIS devices can be made in multiple ways, but thin film approaches, based on existing IC manufacturing technology, have perhaps the best chance to manufacture at scale. Plasma technology is ubiquitous in QIS material fabrication involving thin film approaches, but plasma processes tend to create parasitic qubits and other serious atomic-scale defects. Solving these problems will require considerable research efforts - probably on a multi-decade timescale.
In order to be successful, plasma scientists must work closely and collaboratively with specialists in surfaces, materials and devices. In this talk, I will outline the current and future plans for this new collaborative initiative at PPPL.
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