Particles on a surface under influence of a plasma

To keep up with Moore’s law, the semiconductor industry creates smaller and smaller features on chips. Consequently, the contamination of surfaces with nanometer-sized particles causes increasingly frequent occurring problems in semiconductor manufacturing processes. In this research we investigate when a dust particle will stick to a surface or will be released from it. Herein we focus on the influence of a plasma discharge above the surface and on how we can use this plasma to release particles from critical surfaces and let them stick to non-vital ones. We plan to build a dedicated setup for a quantitative parameter study. Herein an extra known force should be applicable to the particles to measure (and influence) the adhesive force. Options for this include a centrifuge, a vibrating plate, an electromagnet and an AFM.