Ph.D., University of Utah

Plasma chemistry/reactivity of radicals with surfaces using LIF and molecular beam techniques. Plasma polymerization deposition and etching of materials. Characterization of plasma synthesized thin films.

Fisher group research centers on using analytical and materials chemistry methods to understand underlying mechanisms of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and plasma-enhanced CVD (PECVD) processes. Plasmas (partially ionized gases comprising ions, electrons, and neutral species) are used extensively for etching and depositing many materials, including silicon, III-V semiconductors, metal oxides, nitrides, and polymers and for surface modification to improve adhesion and biocompatability.

Our research bridges the gap between chemistry and technology by measuring surface reactivities of radicals during plasma processing; creating dynamic photochemical experiments to provide energetics on plasma species; and studying plasma systems and plasma-produced materials of industrial and scientific importance. Current areas of emphasis include plasma etching and deposition of silicon-based materials, plasma polymerization and processing of polymers, and synthesis of nanostructured materials. In all areas, we combine studies of “macroscopic” materials properties with molecular-level experiments at the gas-surface interface

Plasma Synthesis of Hydrocarbon/Fluorocarbon Thin Films with Compositional Gradients, B. D. Tompkins and E. R. Fisher, Plasma Process. Polym. 10, 779-791 (2013). Challenges in the Characterization of Plasma Processed Three-Dimensional Polymeric Scaffolds for Biomedical Applications, E. R. Fisher, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 5, 9312-9321 (2013). (Invited article for Special Forum) (Invited article, Peter B. Armentrout Festschrift) The Impact of Ion Energies on the Surface Interactions of Nitrogen Oxide Plasma Systems, J. M. Blechle, M. F. Cuddy, and E. R. Fisher, J. Phys. Chem. A 117, 1204-1215 (2013). NH2 and NH Surface Production in Pulsed NH3 Plasmas on TiO2: A Steady-State Probe of Short Pulse Plasmas, D. J. V. Pulsipher and E. R. Fisher, Plasma Process. Polym. 10, 6-18 (2013). H2O Plasma Modification of Track-Etched Polymer Membranes for Increased Wettability and Improved Performance, B. D. Tompkins, J. M. Dennison,* and E. R. Fisher, J. Membr. Sci. 428, 576-588 (2013). Discovering Nanoscience, A. C. Blair, E. R. Fisher, and D. Rickey, Science 337, 1056-1057 (2012) (Recipient of the IBI, Science Prize for Inquiry-Based Instruction).