Professor Chason's research focuses on the evolution of thin films and surfaces, including the development of in situ diagnostics to monitor changes in stress and morphology as they occur. Recent studies involve residual stress during thin film growth, whisker formation in Sn coatings, and self-organized pattern formation during ion sputtering. This work includes experiments, computer simulation, and development of models to relate the experimental results to fundamental materials processes.

More information about our research can be found at our lab website (http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Engineering/Labs/Chason/research/index.html).

Professor Chason's primary research interest is the evolution of thin films and surfaces during processing. As the dimensions of advanced device structures continue to decrease, it becomes increasingly important to understand how thin films develop in order to precisely control their structure and properties. A major aspect of this research has been the development of in situ diagnostics that enable the changes in morphology and microstructure to be monitored as they occur.

Recent work has focused on 1) the development of residual stress during thin film growth; 2) the processes controlling the formation of whiskers in Sn coatings; 3) evolution of self-organized surface patterns during low energy ion sputtering; and 4) stress relaxation in heteroepitaxial layers via dislocations and islanding. This work includes experimental measurements, computer simulation of film growth and sputtering, and development of models to relate the experimental results to fundamental materials processes.

Research techniques developed include a multi-beam optical sensor (MOSS) for measuring wafer curvature (proportional to film stress) during growth in ultra-high vacuum and other environments. In addition, a novel in situ spectroscopic light scattering technique allows the measurements of surface morphology without interrupting processing. In situ x-ray reflectivity has also been developed in order to study surface roughness and buried interfaces during growth, annealing, and low energy ion sputtering.

More information about our research can be found at our lab website (http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Engineering/Labs/Chason/research/index.html).

     a. Current grants

1. NSF-DMR CER: Fundamental understanding of residual stress in binary and ternary nitride thin films: measurements and modeling, $660,284,  9/1/20 - 8/31/24
2. NSF DMR-MMN: Dependence of Sn whisker nucleation and growth on stress: real-time experiments and development of a predictive model, E. Chason, $477,057,  9/1/19-5/31/23

 

      b. Completed grants

1. NSF DMR-Ceramics: Residual stress in nitride thin films: integrated experiments and development of a predictive mode, $587122, 07/1/16-5/31/21.
2. NSF: Sn whiskers: fundamental mechanisms of nucleation and growth and applications to mitigation, $420,000, 09/01/15 - 8/31/19
3. DOE-EPSCoR (Guduru, PI): Fundamental investigations of Mechanical and Chemical Degradation Mechanisms in Lithium In Battery Materials, $12,174,882, 9/15/11-9/14/17.
4. DOE-BES: A unified understanding of residual stress in thin films: kinetic models, experiments and simulations, $507K, 10/2012 – 11/30/17
5. NSF-DMR “Sn whisker nucleation and growth: fundamental mechanisms controlling where, when and why whiskers form on Sn coatings”, $380K, 9/1/2012 – 8/31/2015
6. NSF-MRI: Acquisition of an Advanced X-ray Diffraction System for the Brown University X-ray Characterization Facility", (with IMNI) equipment only, 10/01/11-9/30/14, $466,612
7. DOE CINT User facility: Using growth of patterned thin films to understand residual stress evolution, User proposal, Sandia National Labs Center for Integrative Nanotechnology, 7/13 – 12/31/2014, no monetary award
8. Brown IMNI: “In situ measurement of stress in conducting polymers for improving the performance of plastic batteries”, w/ Palmore (lead PI), $40K 
9. IBM Faculty award for research on graphene growth on large area single crystal substrates, $15 K, 12/31/2011 – 12/31/2012
10. NSF: “Whisker formation in Sn coatings on Cu: fundamental mechanisms and approaches to mitigation”, $270,422,  7/1/09 – 6/30/2012
11. DOE: "Mechanisms of Sputter Ripple Formation:  Coupling among Energetic Ions, Surface Kinetics, Stress and Composition", w/ Shenoy, $422,735, 12/1/08 - 11/30/12    (no-cost extension)
12. MRSEC ($9,360K w/ 19 faculty): "Micro- and Nano- Mechanics of Materials"; 10/1/05 – 8/31/12
13. Karen T. Romer Undergraduate Teaching and Research Awards (UTRA), support for Mani Askari $3K, Summer 2011
14. APS Light source at Argonne National Lab, “Relation of stress evolution to whisker formation in Sn layers on Cu”, allocated 2 weeks of beam time
15. Brookhaven National Labs, Center for Nanofunctional Materials, collaborative research project, “Epitaxial growth on large-area metal single crystal substrates”, allocated facility time
16. NSF: “SGER: Epitaxial Electrodeposition for Large Area Single Crystals," $176,186, 6/1/08 - 5/31/11
17. DOE: ($374K): "Determining and Controlling the Fundamental Mechanisms  of  Sputter Ripple Formation”, 12/1/05-11/30/08.
18. UTRA ($3K) “Improved Substrate for High Temperature Superconductor Manufacturing”, with Adam Standley, 6 – 8/2006
19. NSF-NIRT (PI Vivek Shenoy): “Study of Self-Organization in Strained Heteroepitaxial Nanostructures: Multi-Scale Modeling, Simulation and Experiment”; 7/15/02-06/30/06
20. Salomon grant ($16 K) “"Epitaxial Printing:  A Process for Making Continuous Single Crystal”: 1/05-12/05
21. EMC Corp ($16 K) "Stress Evolution and Whisker Formation in Cu-Sn Bimetallic Layers": 1/05-12/05.
22. NSF MRSEC grant, ($7,100K w/ 16 faculty) “Micro- and Nano-Mechanics of Materials”, 09/01/00 - 08/31/05.
23. DOE, ($524K) “Spontaneous Nanoscale Pattern Formation during Low Energy Ion Bombardment” (9/01/01-11/30/05)
24. CINT ($42 K, 2 years)– “Mechanical Interactions between Nanostructures”; 7/1/04 - 8/31/05
25. General Motors Corp., (0.5 months) “Computational Design of Durable Lightweight Materials: from Atoms to Auto”, 05/1/01 - 04/30/06 (participant for first year only).
26. Sandia National Laboratories, ($15K) “In situ measurements of stress relaxation during MBE growth”,7/99-7/00.

a. Books edited

1. EVOLUTION OF SURFACE AND THIN FILM MICROSCTUCTURE, H.A. Atwater, E. Chason, M. Grabow and M. Lagally, eds., Mat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. 280, (Pittsburgh, PA, 1993).
2. Structure and Evolution of Surfaces, Mater. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. Vol. 440, R.C. Cammarata, E. Chason. T. Einstein and E.D. Williams, eds., 1997.
3.  Thin Films - Structure and Morphology, Mater. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. Vol. 441, S.C. Moss, D. Ila,  R.C. Cammarata, E. Chason. T. Einstein and E.D. Williams, eds., 1997.
4. Fundamental mechanisms of low-energy beam-modified surface growth and processing, eds. S.C. Moss, E. Chason, B.H. Cooper, J.M.E. Harper, T. Diaz de la Rubia, R.M.V. Murty, Materials Research Society Symposium Proceedings Vol. 585, (2000)
5.  Current Issues in Heteroepitaxial Growth – Stress Relaxation and Self Assembly, eds. E.A. Stach, E. Chason, R. Hull, S.D. Bader, MRS Symp. Proc. 696, (Materials Research Society, Warrendale, PA, 2002)
6. Kinetics Driven Nanopatterning at Surfaces, eds. E. Chason, H. Huang, G. Gilmer, E. Wang, Materials Research Society Symposium Vol 849, 2005.
7. Pb-Free and RoHS-Compliant Materials and Processes for Microelectronics, ed. E. Chason, MRS Symp. Proc. Vol. 993 E (electronic), 2007

 

b. chapters in books

1. “X-ray reflectivity for studies of surface and interface structure”, E. Chason, in In Situ Characterization of Thin Film Growth Processes, A. Krauss and O. Auciello, eds., (John Wiley and Sons, New York, 2000) pp. 167-190.
2. “Curvature based techniques for real-time stress measurements during thin film growth”, J.A. Floro and E. Chason, in In Situ Characterization of Thin Film Growth Processes, A. Krauss and O. Auciello, eds., (John Wiley and Sons, New York, 2000) pp. 191-216.
3.  “Spontaneous patterning of surfaces by low energy ion beams”,  in Materials Science with Ion Beams, in Book Series: Topics in Applied Physics,   E. Chason and W.L. Chan, ed. H. Bernas (Springer Verlag, Berlin, 2010) Volume 116,   Pages: 53-71
4. “Kinetic Monte Carlo simulations of low energy ion induced surface patterning”, Wai Lun Chan and E. Chason, in Ion Beam Induced Surface Nanostructuring of Materials. edited by T. Som (Pan Stanford, Singapore) 2013.
5. “Sn Whiskers: Causes, Mechanisms and Mitigation Strategies”, N. Jadhav and E. Chason, in Lead-free Solders:  Materials Reliability for Electronics, ed. K.N. Subramanian, (Wiley, 2012), ISBN: 978-1-119-96680-7
6.  “MAJOR DRIVING FORCES AND GROWTH MECHANISMS FOR TIN WHISKERS”, Eric Chason and Nitin Jadhav, in Mitigating Tin Whisker Risks, edited by Takahiro Kato, Carol Handwerker, and Jasbir Bath (Wiley-IEEE Press, 2016), ISBN: 978-1-119-01195-8.
7. “STRESS MEASUREMENT IN THIN FILMS USING WAFER CURVATURE: PRINCIPLES AND APPLICATIONS”,  Eric Chason, in Mechanics of Materials Series: Measurements and Applications, eds. Chun-Hway Hsueh (Editor-in-Chief ), K. Chawla and N. Chawla, Springer Singapore (due March 2019), ISBN978-981-10-6855-3

1994 DOE-BES Award for Sustained Outstanding Research in Metallurgy and Ceramics
Sandia National Labs Awards for Excellence (1991, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998)
Phi Beta Kappa

TMS, 2019 Functional Materials Division John Bardeen Award

American Physical Society (past member of executive committee, Division of Materials Physics)
Materials Research Society

TMS

Electrochemical Society

Courses taught:
EN0041 Introduction to Materials Science

EN0145 Properties and Processing of Electronic Materials

EN0242 Kinetic Processes in Materials Science

EN0249 Crystal Structures and Crystallography

EN0292 Thin Film Materials