SBIR Opportunities for University Research and Development

NSF SBIR program supports a collaborative research and development effort between UCLA and Surfx Technologies LLC. This paper discusses the benefits of participation in the NSF SBIR Phase II research on "Environmentally Benign, High Pressure Plasma Cleaning Tool for Photoresists." Specifically, this research aims to commercialize an atmospheric plasma processing system for photoresist ashing and provides an excellent opportunity for graduate students to experiment with a commercial semiconductor manufacturing system. Specific research tasks summarized here includes (1) the modeling of atmospheric plasma reactor to aid the improvement of the reactor design, (2) the new design of the plasma sources, (3) the spectroscopic characterization of the photoresist surfaces, (4) the effect of process conditions on the attainable photoresist etch rates, and (5) the deposition of dielectric materials. This unique research partnership requires frequent communications with the sponsor to quickly modify the research scope or adapt radical changes to accommodate the new development and interests of the sponsor in commercializing the technology.