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Maskless ion beam lithography technology as candidates for next generation lithography (NGL) that will be used to produce feature sizes of 100 nm and below
Principal Investigator: Leung

Mask costs for deep-UV (eventually EUV) lithography will continue to escalate with each new generation of technology, and will even become prohibitive for low-volume integrated circuit (IC) products. Maskless patterning techniques are desirable in order to circumvent these issues. There are two maskless ion-beam lithography schemes developed in his group, e.g. Maskless Micro-Ion Beam Reduction Lithography (MMRL) Project and Maskless-resistless MOSFET Fabrication using multi-focused ion beams

Focused ion beam (FIB) systems equipped with plasma ion sources
Principal Investigator: Leung

Conventional focused ion beam systems utilize a liquid metal ion source to generate gallium ions for ion milling and ion-assisted deposition. But gallium ions can cause contamination in many focused ion beam applications. Plasma ion sources can generate many gaseous ion beams, which can minimize the contamination in FIB processes. New FIB system with plasma ion sources will facilitate many researches in nano-science & technology.

Compact neutron tube with rf plasma ion source
Principal Investigator: Leung

High current neutron tubes are being developed for oil well logging. Neutron tubes will also be used for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) and boron neutron capture synovectomy (BNCS). BNCT is a two-step treatment modality for cancer. 10B atoms are concentrated in tumor cells by the administration of tumor-seeking pharmaceuticals. The neutrons generated using the multicusp ion source is moderated to the thermal energy, and thermal neutrons are delivered to the patient. The reaction between the thermal neutron and 10B yields an alpha particle and 7Li. The range of the alpha particle in the cell is approximately 10 microns in the tissue, appropriate to destroy the tumor cells.

Inertial Confinement Fusion: Beam Physics Section
Principal Investigator: Morse

A realistic driver for an ICF power plant could be a particle beam which deposits its energy into a fusion target. In order for this scheme to be successful, appropriate beam sources and accelerators must be developed, and the beam must be focused accurately onto the target. UCB students are participating in this endeavor to make beam drivers a reality. Projects have included studies of ION sources for ICF beam drivers and design of diagnostic systems for current ICF driver experiments.

• LBNL Accelerator and Fusion Research Division

Microwave Beam Devices
Principal investigator: Verboncoeur

Research of models and methods relevant to high power sources, up to GW power levels. Current investigations include aliasing effects of stairstepped boundaries, models for field emission of electrons, and fluid-particle hybrid models for simulation of high density plasmas interacting with beams and waves. Supported by the Air Force Research Laboratory at Kirtland.

Plasma Propulsion
Principal investigator: Verboncoeur

Study of computational models for plasma propulsion systems, including ion beams and electron sources. Initial research is on development of a flexible object-oriented modeling framework which is optimized for speed. Subsequent steps will include adding physical models to the framework, initially in 1D, followed by 2D and 3D. The physical models of interest include electrostatic field solvers (Possion eq. on a mesh, gridless Coulomb’s law, gridless treecode, and others), equipotential boundary conditions, electron- and ion-neutral collisions, ion-induced secondary electron effects, and many others. This will result in a computational tool capable of modeling a broad spectrum of plasma propulsion devices, including hollow cathode ion thrusters, hall effect thrusters, and pseudospark thrusters. This project is funded by the Air Force Research Laboratory at Edwards Air Force Base.

Plasma Sputtering of Tantalum
Principal investigator: Verboncoeur

In this project, a computational model of a sputtering magnetron is being developed. The sputtering magnetron is a coaxial configuration, with the center comprising a series of permanent magnets surrounded by a tantalum tube. A DC voltage accelerates electrons toward the substrate (outer coaxial conductor), but they are confined by the magnetic field to a region close to the inner electrode (cathode). The energy gained from the DC field is primarily expended in ionizing a background gas, forming new electron-ion pairs. The unmagnetized ions are accelerated into the negatively biased cathode, and impact with sufficient energy to sputter material from the target cathode. The target is typically tantalum. The sputtered tantalum atoms then propagate across the gap and deposit on the substrate forming the outer conductor (anode). This technique can be used to coat material surfaces to improve their properties, such as hardness, resistance to heat and chemical erosion, and so forth. The present application is to improve the lifetime of tank and artillery gun barrels by replacing the currently used chromium coating with tantalum. This has the added benefit that tantalum is environmentally benign, while chromium is a controlled substance known to pose serious environmental risks. This research is supported by Benet Army Research Laboratory.

Finite Element Particle Model
Principal investigator: Verboncoeur

In this research, a computational model combining the particle capabilities of the particle-in-cell (PIC) method with the flexibility of a finite element based field solver, is analyzed for accuracy and stability. We will seek means of optimizing the performance of such methods. Initial applications are beam-optics problems, including time-dependent problems in which space charge plays an important role, such as virtual cathode oscillations. This work is performed in collaboration with Calabazas Creek Research, and is supported by the Department of Energy.

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