Sustainable Chemistry Thin Film
Music; Ambience: Atomic Layer Disposition System 120612_06
JM: “Thin film technology” – it may sound a little cryptic but you’re very likely carrying this technology with you right now. I’m Jim Metzner and this is the Pulse of the Planet.
SM: This allows us to lay down very thin layers of atoms which we will then incorporate into our devices
JM: We’re at Oregon State University in Corvalis, Oregon, talking with Sean Muir, a former graduate student research fellow . He and his team are helping to develop new kinds of thin films which are used to create the microscopic circuitry found in virtually every electronic device manufactured today, including smart phones. That sound we’re hearing is coming from an atomic layer deposition system a machine about the size of a small car. With its shiny riveted metal surfaces, it looks like a bit like a very high tech oven and in a way, that’s what it is.
SM: Essentially it is a large oven that we can place under vacuum and we are going to be placing some samples and laying down these super thin layers of elements which we will then use in our electronic devices. So what you hear right now is the clicking of these controllers and each time they click the valve is going to release a bit of the reactants into the chamber. These reactants will settle onto the base layer that we placed in the chamber. What we’re trying to do is vet this materials process to see whether it will produce devices that are suitable in actual electronic applications such as liquid crystal displays.
JM: We’ll hear more about thin film technology in future programs. Our thanks to the Center for Sustainable Materials Chemistry. Pulse of the Planet is made possible by the National Science Foundation. I’m Jim Metzner.