Roger H. French


Adjunct Professor

301 LRSM
302.695.1319
roger.h.french@usa.dupont.com

Ph.D. Materials Science & Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology - 1985
B.S. Materials Science, Cornell University - 1979

Research Interests
Our research is in optical properties and electronic structure of ceramics, optical materials, and polymers using vacuum ultraviolet spectroscopy, spectroscopic ellipsometry, and valence electron energy loss spectroscopy. Current work is in the origins and applications of London dispersion forces and the electronic structure and wetting of interfaces and intergranular films. We also study near field optics and scattering by particulate dispersions and complex microstructures using computational solutions to Maxwell's equations. In addition, work on new materials for optical lithography for integrated chip fabrication at 365nm, 248nm, 193nm and, most recently, 157nm wavelengths, has produced attenuating phase shift photomasks, photomask pellicles, and semiconductor photoresists. His work has produced thirteen patents and filings and more than 85 published papers.

Optical Property Based Electronic Structure Studies

Optics and electronic structure of ceramics, polymers and optical materials: VUV/UV/Vis spectroscopy.
Electronic structure of interfaces: spatially resolved valence electron energy loss spectroscopy (VEELS).
Electronic structure, London dispersion forces, and Hamaker constants: wetting of ceramic and polymeric surfaces and interfaces; retardation of dispersion forces and novel wetting conditions.

Materials and Microstructure Design

Materials for sub-50 nm electronics: patterning, switches and interconnects.
Fluoropolymers for 157nm IC photolithographic pellicles and photoresists.
Tunable optical materials for attenuating phase shift photomasks for IC photolithography: VUV/DUV spectroscopic ellipsometry of complex multilayered and graded thin film materials.
Light scattering and near field interactions of complex microstructures and particulate dispersions: computational optics using finite element solutions to Maxwell's Equations; Kubelka Munk analysis.

Current Research Projects
Nanometer Scale Induced Structure in Amorphous Films (with Prof. Bonnell)

A broad based gropu of EU and US groups are pursuing an integrated experimental and computational effort to investigate the extraordinary properties of nanostructured amorphous intergranular and surficial films. These films can have nanoscale structures and compositions that would not be stable as a bulk phase, and therefore can have physical properties that are not found in bulk phases. Furthermore, some physical attributes, such as film width, that are normally tailored by engineering processes, become an equilibrium quantity that are naturally uniform and highly tunable with composition. Because of nanometer length scales of these films and their unexpected physical properties (e.g., the dielectric properties of thin intergranular films cannot be extrapolated from known bulk values), development and integration into devices is expected to yield beneficial consequences.

As a part of this program we are pursuing vacuum ultraviolet and valence electron energy loss spectroscopy of surficial films on silicon (which are of interest for high k gate dielectrics for CMOS transistors) and intergranular films in SrTiO3, Silicon Nitride and Silicon Carbide. We are then determining the van der Waals and London Dispersion Forces for these films using full spectral hamaker constant calculations. For more information please go to NANOAM.

Selected Publications

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