Real-time material quality prediction, fault detection, and contamination control in AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor metalorganic chemical vapor deposition process using in situ chemical sensing
Gallium nitride and its alloys promise to be key materials for future heterojunction semiconductor devices aimed at high frequency, high power electronic applications. However, manufacturing for such high performance products is challenged by reproducibility and material quality constraints that are notably higher than those required for optoelectronic applications. To meet this challenge, in situ mass spectrometry was implemented in AlGaN∕GaN∕AlN metalorganic chemical vapor deposition processes as a real-time process and wafer state metrology tool. In particular, the various pregrowth gas phase impurity levels within the reactor, measured by mass spectrometry in real time, were correlated to photoluminescence band-edge and deep-level properties measured postprocess. Band-edge intensities increased and deep-level intensities decreased with lower oxygen-containing impurity levels in the pregrowth environment. These real-time indications of oxygen impurity incorporation were used for fault detection and to ...
Real-time process sensing and metrology in amorphous and selective area silicon plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition using in situ mass spectrometry
We have used mass spectroscopy to observe and analyze, in real-time, gas phase reactants and product species in plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) of silicon. We describe a doubly differentially pumped mass spectrometry system to sample the exhaust stream of a large area plasma CVD reactor operating at 0.4–1.5 Torr. We show real-time quantitative analysis of silane consumption and hydrogen production for deposition of hydrogenated amorphous silicon and for pulsed-gas selective area silicon deposition. The ability of mass spectrometry to observe process faults in real time is also demonstrated. Mass spectroscopy is a useful nonintrusive process-state sensor for real-time metrology of plasma deposition, for example, to quantify gas phase species, and to characterize reactions occurring on the substrate surface. Based on our results, we discuss potential advanced manufacturing applications of real-time mass spectrometry in amorphous silicon and selective area silicon plasma deposition, includi...
Amphotericin B microspheres: A therapeutic approach to minimize toxicity while maintaining antifungal efficacy
Amphotericin B microsphere formulations with and without addition of polyethylene glycol 2000 in cross-linked bovine serum albumin were prepared. Amphotericin B microspheres were characterized for particle size (<5 µm), zeta potential (∼30 mV) and drug interaction by DSC and FTIR and were found to be stable formulations. Drug release profiles for these microspheres revealed that the release was primarily by diffusion. In vitro toxicity as assessed by release of haemoglobin and potassium demonstrated no toxic effect as compared with conventional solution formulation. Antifungal activity in vitro was comparable to solution formulation when tested by broth dilution method.