Education

Research Description

Dr. Lietz works on computational modeling of low temperature plasmas for a wide variety of applications, including medicine (wound healing, cancer treatment), chemical processing (carbon capture and utilization, nitrogen fixation), and the production of computer chips. Computational modeling can be used to explain the underlying physics and chemistry behind behaviors observed in plasma sources, and informs the design and optimization of these plasma sources for each application.

Publications

Estimation of mean electron energy in helium surface ionization waves on dielectric substrates

Morsell, J., Dechant, C., Gall, G., Trosan, D., Lietz, A. M., Stapelmann, K., & Shannon, S. (2024), JOURNAL OF PHYSICS D-APPLIED PHYSICS, 57(39). https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6463/ad5451

Kinetic simulations of ignited mode cesium vapor thermionic converters

Lietz, A. M., Groenewald, R. E., Scherpelz, P., & Hopkins, M. M. (2023), Journal of Applied Physics. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0117599

Laser-driven ionization mechanisms of aluminum for single particle aerosol mass spectrometry

Lietz, A. M., Yee, B. T., Musk II, J., Moffat, H. K., Wiemann, D. K., Settecerri, T., … Hopkins, M. M. (2022), SPECTROCHIMICA ACTA PART B-ATOMIC SPECTROSCOPY, 197. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sab.2022.106543

High-fidelity modeling of breakdown in helium: initiation processes and secondary electron emission

Lietz, A. M., Barnat, E. V., Nail, G. R., Roberds, N. A., Fierro, A. S., Yee, B. T., … Hopkins, M. M. (2021), Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, 54(33), 334005. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6463/ac0461

Generation of reactive species in water film dielectric barrier discharges sustained in argon, helium, air, oxygen and nitrogen

Mohades, S., Lietz, A. M., & Kushner, M. J. (2020), Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, 7. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6463/aba21a

Guided plasma jets directed onto wet surfaces: angular dependence and control

Parsey, G., Lietz, A. M., & Kushner, M. J. (2021), Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, 54(4), 045206. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6463/abbf1a

Ionization wave propagation in a He plasma jet in a controlled gas environment

Lietz, A. M., Barnat, E. V., Foster, J. E., & Kushner, M. J. (2020), Journal of Applied Physics. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0020264

Atmospheric pressure plasma activation of water droplets

Kruszelnicki, J., Lietz, A. M., & Kushner, M. J. (2019), Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, 5. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6463/ab25dc

Helium plasma jet interactions with water in well plates

Mohades, S., Lietz, A. M., Kruszelnicki, J., & Kushner, M. J. (2020), Plasma Processes and Polymers. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppap.201900179

Ionization wave propagation in an atmospheric pressure plasma multi-jet

Lietz, A. M., Damany, X., Robert, E., Pouvesle, J.-M., & Kushner, M. J. (2019), Plasma Sources Science and Technology, 10. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6595/ab4ab0

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Grants

Improving Ion Control for Semiconductor Processing with Repetitive Pulsed Power

US Dept. of Energy (DOE)(8/22/22 - 8/21/24)

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Improving Ion Control for Semiconductor Processing with Repetitive Pulsed Power

Sponsor: US Dept. of Energy (DOE)

Start Date: 8/22/22

End Date: 8/21/24

Abstract

Capacitively coupled plasmas are used throughout industry for computer chip manufacturing. One of the most challenging of these processes is high aspect ratio etching, and custom voltage waveforms (non-sinusoidal waveforms) may provide more control over ion energy and angular distributions to address many of these challenges. In this work, we will use computational modeling to explore how the presence of electronegative gases (which can form negative ions), can influence the plasma dynamics in conditions relevant to high aspect ratio etching. The impact on ionization processes, sheath dynamics, and fluxes of reactive species will be analyzed.

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