Christoph Steinbrüchel
— Associate Professor of Materials Science and Engineering,
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Education:
— Ph.D., Chemical Physics, University of Minnesota, 1974
— Diploma, Physics, University of Zürich, Switzerland, 1969


Career Highlights:
Steinbrüchel began his professional career as a research associate at the University of California, Berkeley, from 1974 to 1975. He then spent two years as a research associate at the University of Chicago. In 1977, Steinbrüchel joined the Argonne National Laboratory as an assistant scientist for three years. He spent the following seven years in Switzerland, first as a research physicist for RCA Laboratories, then as a group leader for Mettler Instruments. In 1989, he joined the Rensselaer faculty, where he currently serves as an associate professor.

The author of more than 90 scientific papers, a book, and five book chapters and monographs, Steinbrüchel also has served as a peer reviewer for the National Science Foundation and several scientific journals. Among these publications are Applied Physics Letters, Journal of Vacuum Science Technology, Journal of The Electrochemical Society, and Thin Solid Films. The Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) awarded Steinbrüchel its Inventor Recognition Award in 1991.

Research Areas:
Steinbrüchel's research focuses on thin film processing and characterization for microelectronics and sensor applications. His interests include issues arising in back-end-of-the-line processing, especially copper interconnect technology. His specific expertise is in the areas of plasma processes (etching, chemical vapor deposition, and sputtering), plasma process diagnostics, process contamination control, thin film and interface characterization, and surface analysis.

His current projects include studies on plasma processing of low-k dielectrics, plasma diagnostics using a Langmuir probe, and diffusion barriers between copper and low-k dielectrics.

Selected Publications:
L. Graham, Ch. Steinbrüchel, and D.J. Duquette, "Nucleation and Growth of Electrochemically Deposited Copper on TiN and Copper from a Cu-NH3 Bath," Journal of The Electrochemical Society, 149, C390-C395, (2002).

A. Karamcheti, V.H.C. Watt, H.N. Al-Shareef, T.Y Luo, M.D. Jackson, H.R. Huff, and Ch. Steinbrüchel, "Characterization of Ultrathin Gate Dielectrics Formed by In-Situ Steam Generation with Nitrogen Postprocessing," Journal of Electronic Materials, 31, 124-128, (2002).

H. Kizil, G. Kim, Ch. Steinbrüchel, and B. Zhao, "TiN and TaN Diffusion Barriers in Copper Interconnect Technology: Towards a Consistent Testing Methodology," Journal of Electronic Materials, 30, 345-348, (2001).

G. Narasimhan and Ch. Steinbrüchel, "Analysis of Langmuir Probe Data: Analytical Parametrization, and the Importance of the End Effect," Journal of Vacuum Science Technology A, 19, 376-378, (2001).

Ch. Steinbrüchel and B.L. Chin, Copper Interconnect Technology, SPIE Press: Bellingham, WA, (2001).

A. Mallikarjunan, S.P. Murarka, Ch. Steinbrüchel, A. Kumar, and H. Bakhru, "Electrical Behavior of Cu-Thin PECVD Fluorinated Oxide MIS Capacitors Journal of The Electrochemical Society, 147, 3502-3507, (2000).

A. Karamcheti and Ch. Steinbrüchel, "Parametrization of Laframboise's Results for Spherical and Cylindrical Langmuir Probes," Journal of Vacuum Science Technology A, 17, 3051-3056, (1999).

S.E. Kim and Ch. Steinbrüchel, "Metal/Fluorinated-Dielectric Interactions in Microelectronic Interconnections: Rapid Diffusion of Fluorine Through Aluminum," Applied Physics Letters, 75, 1902-1904, (1999).

Ch. Steinbrüchel, "Reactive Ion Etching," in Handbook of Thin Film Process Technology, C.1.1:1-C1.1:23; eds. D.A. Glocker and S.I. Shah; IOP Publishing; Bristol, UK; (1995).

Ch. Steinbrüchel, "The Formation of Particles in Thin Film Processing Plasmas,"
in Physics of Thin Films, 18, 289-318, eds. M.H. Francombe and J.L. Vossen, Academic Press: San Diego, (1994).

Contact Information:
Christoph Steinbrüchel
113 Materials Research Center
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
110 Eighth Street
Troy, N.Y. 12180 USA
(518) 276-2904

E-mail: steinc@rpi.edu
www.rpi.edu/~steinc

 

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