Main Research Fields

The scientific area in which she is involved mainly concerns the semiconductor materials for microelectronic and optoelectronic applications, and can be summarized as follow:
 

* Plasma deposition of amorphous silicon and its alloys.

        The interest in this field has been focused on two principal aspects concerning:
*  fundamental understanding of deposition mechanisms and material properties;
*  development of new "plasma architecture" for the optimization of processes and material properties.
        In particular, she focused on the:
1. characterization of plasma phase and modeling of pulsed r.f. discharges by the Time Resolved Optical Emission Spectroscopy (TR-OES) and Mass Spectrometry (MS);
2. plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) of hydrogenated and fluorinated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H,F) and silicon nitride (a-Si,N:H,F) thin films;
3. thin film deposition by pulsed r.f. discharges of hydrogenated and fluorinated amorphous silicon-germanium alloys (a-Si,Ge:H,F).
 

* Plasma processing of III-V semiconductor materials: MOCVD epitaxial growth and surface treatments.

Her current research focuses on the:
1. architecture of "novel" MOCVD apparatus for the epitaxial growth of III-V materials under unusual conditions;
2. plasma-assisted MOCVD growth of III-V nitride (GaN and related alloys)
3. in situ real time monitoring of III-V material processes aimed mainly to the chemical and kinetic modelling of the growth and processing;
4. development of in situ dry cleaning procedures of III-V substrates;
5. investigation of plasma oxidation and passivation of III-V epilayers.
 

* In situ monitoring of processes by:
1. phase modulated spectroscopic ellipsometry;
2. laser reflectance interferometry;
3. mass spectrometry;
4. optical emission spectroscopy.
 

* Material structural and optical characterization by:
1. spectroscopic ellipsometry;
2. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS);
3. energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS);
4. scanning electron microscopy (SEM);
5. infrared spectroscopy;
6. UV-VIS absorption spectroscopy;
7. photoluminescence

Acquired Know How

* Vacuum technology
* Plasma technology
* Thin film technology
* Architecture of chemical vapor deposition apparatus
* In situ process monitoring technologies
* In situ material diagnostic methodologies
* Advanced optical diagnostics
* Photovoltaic materials
* Optoelectronic materials

Work Experience

• PhD degree in Material Chemistry from the University of Bari. The PhD thesis topic was the " Remote Plasma Metalorganic Chemical Vapor Deposition (RP-MOCVD) of III-V Semiconductor Materials. Study of a non conventional apparatus for the epitaxial growth of indium phosphide (InP)".
• Since 1994, she is a research scientist at the Plasma Chemistry Research Center of the National Research Council in Bari.

Selected Significant Publications:

1. G. Bruno, M. Losurdo, P. Capezzuto, "Study of the phosphine plasma decomposition and its formation by ablation of red phosphorus in hydrogen plasma", J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A, 13 (1995) 349.
2. G. Bruno, M. Losurdo, P. Capezzuto, " Phosphorus ablation process as a hydrogen atom probe in a remote H2 plasma reactor", Appl. Phys. Lett., 66 (1995) 3573.
3. G. Bruno, M. Losurdo, P. Capezzuto, V. Capozzi, T. Trovato, G. Perna, G.F. Lorusso, "Hydrogen plasma passivation of InP: Real time ellipsometry monitoring and ex situ photoluminescence measurements", Appl. Phys. Lett., 69 (1996) 685.
4. M. Losurdo, P. Capezzuto, G. Bruno, " Study of the H2 remote plasma cleaning of InP substrate for epitaxial growth", J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B, 14 (1996) 691.
5. G. Bruno, P. Capezzuto, M. Losurdo, "Chemistry and kinetics of the interaction of hydrogen atoms with (100) InP surfaces: An in situ real time ellipsometric study", Phys. Rev. B. 54 (1996) 17175.
6. M. Losurdo, P. Capezzuto, G. Bruno, "Chemistry and kinetics of the GaAs oxidation by plasma anodization: An in situ real time ellipsometric study", Phys. Rev. B. 56 (1997) 10621.
7. M. Losurdo, P. Capezzuto, G. Bruno, E.A. Irene, "Chemistry and kinetics of the GaN formation by plasma ndation of GaAs: An in situ real time ellipsometric study", Phys. Rev. B. 58 (1998) 15878