In 1989, the Executive Committee of the Division of Plasma Physics (DPP) of the American Physical Society (APS) made a presentation to the Board on Physics and Astronomy (BPA) arguing that a Plasma Science Committee should be established by the National Research Council (NRC). Shortly thereafter, the new committee was formed under the auspices of the BPA.

Among its first projects, the Plasma Science Committee (PLSC) launched a study of plasma processing of materials by convening an informational meeting at which representatives of the materials processing community provided technical background and identified issues and priorities. It was noted that low-temperature plasma science is vitally important to the industrial sector in areas such as materials processing and semiconductor fabrication. Yet the basic research and education efforts in this area are inadequate and are not nearly commensurate with its technical and economic importance. Accordingly, the PLSC called for the formation of a panel of specialists to carry out a science and technology assessment with the following specific charge:

• Evaluate the potential impact of advances in low-temperature plasma science on surface processing technology, with emphasis on semiconductor applications.

• Identify key research problems in plasma physics and chemistry and the interaction of plasmas with surfaces.

• Recommend means to bring to bear the strengths of the plasma science community on the scientific, technological, and educational issues identified in the study.

The Panel on Plasma Processing of Materials (PPPM) was organized in 1990 and met several times to address this charge. The panel was selected to provide representation from industry as well as from academic institutions, and liaison members were appointed who concurrently served on the Plasma Science Committee, the Solid State Sciences Committee (SSSC), and the Committee on Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Sciences (CAMOS).

A daunting problem for the panel stemmed from the diversity of industrial applications of plasma-based systems used in the processing of materials. In its deliberations and its effort to focus the study, the panel concerned itself with two major areas of industrial applications, namely, microelectronics and aerospace. Three subpanels were formed to assess (1) applications of plasma processing of materials in the electronics and aerospace industries, (2) the basic plasma science that supports the applications, and (3) the related educational needs. The subpanels were charged to confront issues affecting the future health of the technology and science, the competitive position of the U.S. technology, identification of emerging technologies, the role of funding and coordination of research goals, and cooperation among industrial, academic, and national laboratory resources.

A two-day workshop was held early in 1991 to bring together some two dozen additional experts from the low-temperature plasma community for the purpose of soliciting their review of the panel's draft findings and to obtain additional input. Workshop participants reviewed a preliminary report by the panel and followed the topical approach of the subpanels. The workshop presentations and breakout groups emphasized identification of issues. The acknowledged diversity of subject matter was indeed matched by the diverse views of the

participants, which led to lively debate but also to consensus on many of the key issues. This report, prepared by the Panel on Plasma Processing of Materials, is intended to summarize the views of the working panel members, the input received as a result of the workshop, the useful comments of numerous colleagues contacted by the panel, and many helpful suggestions contributed by the report's NRC-appointed peer reviewers.

The Panel on Plasma Processing of Materials finds that plasma processing of materials is a technology critical to implementing some of the key recommendations of the NRC study Materials Science and Engineering for the 1990s (National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., 1989) and to enhancing the health of the technologies identified in the Report of the National Critical Technologies Panel (U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 1991), specifically in the areas of materials synthesis and processing and microelectronic processing.

Although the work of the panel is now complete, it is the hope of its members that this report will clarify the critical importance of low-energy plasma science in materials processing and that a coordinated national focus will be developed to meet the demanding technological challenges that lie ahead. The diversity and emerging nature of plasma processing suggest that this will not be an easy task, but it is one that must not fail, given the economic importance of the technology and its enormous potential for stimulating economic growth.

The panel is grateful to R. McGrath for his extensive contributions to the chapter on education in plasma science, to J. Verdeyen for his input on the history of low-energy plasma science, and to R. Matula for his extensive literature searches. It is also indebted to J. Fincke and D. E. Ibbotson for their contributions to the basic science section, to A. Kornblit for his contribution to the applications section, and to J. T. Herron for his work on chemical kinetics and data base requirements. Contributions from E. S. Aydil, K. Ceraso, D. Economou, D. B. Graves, C. Jurgensen, L. E. Katz, S. Marshall, J.P. McVittie, G. Oehrlein, K. Olasupo, G. S. Selwyn, and D. Vitkavage are gratefully acknowledged. The panel could not have completed its work without the help of its NRC staff officer, Ronald D. Taylor. Thanks are also due to the editor, Susan Maurizi, and Anne Simmons, who prepared the manuscript.