Brett Cruden is one of the researchers contributing to work on the GEC (Gaseous Electronics Conference) Reference Cell. The GEC reference cell is a standardized plasma reactor, designed to improve the consistency of results obtained on different platforms. The GEC Cell was designed with the flexibility to allow for different diagnostics to be installed. The cell at NASA Ames has incorporated six different diagnostics: (1) Mass Spectrometry, (2) Langmuir Probe, (3) Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy, (4) Ultraviolet (UV) Absorption, (5) Optical Emission Spectroscopy (OES), and (6) Plasma Impedance Monitoring (PIM).

Dr. Cruden's emphasis on this apparatus is presently in the area of optical characterization of the plasma. Making use of FTIR, OES, and UV Absorption simultaneously, we are able to measure many of the species (atoms, radicals and stable molecules) present in plasmas relevant to the semiconductor industry. Present work is focusing on fluorocarbon plasmas (e.g. CF₄, C₅F₈) mixed with oxygen and argon, which are used for oxide etching in the semiconductor industry. Measurements of this sort will assist others in interpretation of the very complex plasma chemistry, which is a necessity for modelling and predictive process optimization. In addition to using these techniques to characterize the plasmas, Dr. Cruden is working to help develop the theory and applications of these techniques. As optical measurements are generally unobtrusive to the plasma, it is possible to develop these techniques in ways that can be used for process diagnostics in industry (e.g. neutral and electron temperature measurements). Dr. Cruden is also working on developing the applicability of the PIM to research and industrial measurements. Close comparison of the results obtained on the GEC Cell with these techniques to those available through the more intrusive Mass Spectroscopy and Langmuir Probe measurements on the same system allows for validation of and assists in interpretation of these results.