September 16, 2024
Dear Colleagues:
With this Dear Colleague Letter (DCL), the US National Science Foundation (NSF) encourages submission of interdisciplinary proposals that capitalize on opportunities for bringing fundamental plasma science and engineering investigations to bear on two focus areas of societal and technological need:
- removal of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from the environment; and
- novel and more efficient methods for fabrication of microelectronics.
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large group of synthetic chemicals that have been used for decades in consumer products and manufacturing processes. Because of the strength of the carbon-fluorine bonds, PFAS do not degrade easily and are persistent in water and soil. These "forever chemicals" are now widely distributed in the environment. Growing evidence shows that environmental PFAS bioaccumulate in fish, wildlife, and humans and may contribute to a wide range of adverse health effects. Limited methods are available for the destruction of PFAS in water and soil, either directly or after concentration. Plasmas generate highly reactive species, which may be effective at breaking down PFAS, particularly long-chain PFAS.
Semiconductors are also manufactured using many steps that involve plasmas during their fabrication. Many semiconductor devices are made in a low temperature plasma environment where the plasma is used in key parts of the workflow in semiconductor manufacturing to etch/deposit material, and in clean, dope or ash steps, etc. Plasmas are used in process steps that may produce or reduce PFAS. At the same time, lithography also plays a critical role in semiconductor manufacture and, as the feature sizes get smaller, tools using shorter wavelengths into the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) are entering the manufacturing process. Here plasmas can play an important role in generating the EUV light needed for lithography.
Proposals submitted in response to this DCL should be responsive to and will be considered within the ECosystem for Leading Innovation in Plasma Science and Engineering (ECLIPSE) meta-program, PD 24-110Z.
For consideration in the FY2025 funding cycle, proposals responsive to this DCL should be submitted directly to the ECLIPSE program description PD 24-110Z by 5 p.m. submitter's local time on November 18, 2024.