Department of Materials Science and Engineering

• Ph.D., Applied Physics, California Institute of Technology, 1979
• M.S., Applied Physics, California Institute of Technology, 1977
• B.A., Astronomy, University of California at Los Angeles, 1976
• B.S., Engineering, University of California at Los Angeles, 1976

Partially ionized gases (or plasmas) are able to activate chemical processes at low temperatures and deliver controlled amounts of activation energies to surfaces. These plasmas can be used to functionalize surfaces of materials (for improved wettability, stickability, or biocompatibility) or fabricate new structures (as in plasma etching or deposition of materials for microelectronics fabrication). Other applications include remediation of toxic substances and pathogens, lighting sources and thrusters. In our research group we develop multiscale computer models for these processes and technologies. We investigate the fundamentals of plasma surface interactions, selective plasma chemistry and plasma hydrodynamics; and how these fundamentals can be applied to the development of technologies.

• Fellow, Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers
• Fellow, American Physical Society
• Fellow, Optical Society of America
• Fellow, American Vacuum Society
• Fellow, Institute of Physics
• IEEE Plasma Science and Applications Award
• AVS Plasma Science and Technology Prize
• Tegal Corporation Thinker Award for Plasma Processing Technology
• Semiconductor Research Corporation Technical Excellence Award
• Japanese Society for Advancement of Science Fellow

• R. Dorai and M. J. Kushner, ?A Model for Plasma Modification of Polypropylene Using Atmospheric Pressure Discharges,? J. Phys. D. 36, 666 (2003)
• A. N. Bhoj and M. J. Kushner, ?Avalanche Processes in an Idealized Lamp II: Modeling of Breakdown in Ar/Xe Electric Discharges,? J. Phys. D. 37, 2910 (2004).
• 193. R. Kinder, A. R. Ellingboe and M. J. Kushner, ?H- to W-Mode Transitions and Properties of a Multimode Helicon Plasma Reactor,? Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 12, 561 (2003) [Erratum: Plasma Sources Sci. Technol. 13, 187 (2004)]
• A. V. Vasenkov, X. Li, G. S. Oehrlein and M. J. Kushner, ?Properties of C4F8 Inductively Coupled Plasmas, Part II: Plasma Chemistry, Reaction Mechanism of Modeling of Ar/c-C4F8/O2 Discharges ?, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A. 22, 511 (2004)
• A. Sankaran and M. J. Kushner, ?Etching of Porous and Solid SiO2 in Ar/c-C4F8, O2/c-C4F8 and Ar/O2/c-C4F8 Plasmas?, J. Appl. Phys. 97, 023307 (2005)

Research Group website: uigelz.ece.iastate.edu

Complete Vita and publication list: uigelz.ece.iastate.edu/GroupMembers/KushnerMJ.html