In this project in experimental physical chemistry funded by the Chemistry Division, Professors Moore and Tossell (University of Maryland) will study electron capture reactions and other ionic processes in plasmas, using several spectroscopic techniques. These include electron transmission spectroscopy and photoionization mass spectrometry. Materials to be studied include several fluorocarbons and silanes which are of immediate interest in the plasma chemical deposition processes used in commercial manufacture of semiconductor devices. %%% Ultraminiature semiconductor devices used in all modern computers are made by depositing appropriate materials from dense, electrically charged gases called plasmas. The new field of plasma chemistry thus has immense technological importance. Professors Moore and Tossell will use a combination of quantum mechanical theory and modern spectroscopic methods to elucidate the nature of prototypical chemical reactions in plasmas.
