I am delighted to be involved with this small, but exciting meeting being held here in Dublin on the 6th and 7th of September. I published a number of papers in the 1990’s on pulsed plasmas, including a letter in Phys Rev Letters on efficient negative ions sources using modulated RF plasmas. The idea of using pulsed plasmas to select the electron energy distribution function (EEDF) is now used in Semiconductor plasma etching. Control of the EEDF is important in regulating negative ion flux, ion energy control and charging effects. The best way to control anything is to make the right measurements. Plasma diagnostics in pulsed plasma are challenging and we are bringing together an elite group of experts in the area of pulsed plasma diagnostics to share their experience and improve the quality of plasma measurement. The organizer is David Gahan and he has told me that due to a number of requests the early registration deadline for the PPDW has been extended until the 29th June. Please register now to reserve your place at the reduced rate as places are limited.
http://www.impedans.com/announcements.html
Please find the 2nd announcement for the Pulsed Plasma Diagnostic Workshop (PPDW) attached. Pulsed plasma discharges are used for a variety of applications in modern industry. Magnetron sputtering and HiPIMS discharges, used for depositing layers, generally use pulsed direct current (pDC) excitation of the target and/or substrate to generate the plasma and control the layer properties. Operating frequencies range from 100’s Hz to 100’s kHz, typically.
Recently, there has been a move towards pulsed radio-frequency (pRF) discharge operation by the etching community where the rf driving frequency is pulsed in the 10’s kHz range. In these devices (inductively coupled (ICP) reactors, for example) the source and/or bias frequency are pulsed independently or synchronously to provide better control over the ion energy and etch properties. There are many other examples and uses of pulsed plasmas in the wider community also.
The purpose of this workshop is to gather a team of leading experts from the various pulsed plasma fields to share their knowledge and expertise in the art of pulsed plasma diagnostics. This will provide a unique opportunity for plasma physicists from different fields to interact and learn about diagnostic techniques that may now be applicable to their own research. A stimulating workshop, along with some exciting social activities, will make this an event to remember. Please visit the link below for more information.
Mike B Hopkins 