The equipment for plasma processing via electron cyclotron resonance was inherited from defunct Silicone Valley start-up company.

A 5 kW, 2.45 GHz microwave source ignites an argon plasma in 10-4 Torr. The magnetic field in the chamber is tuned such that electron gyro-frequency matches microwave frequency, so that the relatively free ions can sputter atoms of a substrate material such as graphite onto a silicon wafer, preferably in the form of diamond.

A recent addition to the Plasma Processing Laboratory is a custom-built housing for a Raman Spectrometer.  The spectrometer uses a non-invasive technique to excite laser light to a higher energy state, indicating the types of inter-molecular bonds in a sample.  We use this spectrometer to determine what type of carbon bonding results from exposing a wafer to the sputter source, i.e, whether the sample ends up more like the graphite in your pencil or the diamond in your earrings.