DMI-9612058 Miaoulis The microscale effects are pertinent to thermal processing of microelectronic devices which requires careful control of the temperature distribution of the wafer. These effects play a significant role in material processing when the wavelength of radiation is of the same order of magnitude as the layer/film thickness or feature sizes of the material processed. Thermal problems lead to defect generation and propagation in the material, excessive diffusion of microelectronics features, and non-uniform film deposition. As these devices become smaller and smaller, these issues become increasingly critical to the future of electronic materials manufacturing. The semiconductor industry, in particular, the manufacturing equipment sector, is in need of a thorough understanding of these phenomena. This research project will develop a set of simulation and experimental tools and techniques to examine the microscale radiative phenomena and to develop a novel temperature and stress measurement system. The outcomes of the study would yield useful tools and models for sub-micro patterned wafers manufacturing. The study will be conducted based on a microelectricalmechanical (MEMS) approach. This project is a collaboration between the Thermal Analysis of Materials Processing Laboratory of Tufts University and the Microfabrication Laboratory of the Northeastern University.
