Development and applications of an automatic modeling system of deposition profile calculations for microfabrication

Abstract

Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) is one of the most important ultra fine manufacturing processes for semiconductor devices. Although simulators are very helpful for developing CVD processes, large calculation costs of the simulators obstruct extensive utilization of them. We showed that modeling of correlations between calculating conditions and calculated results by the simulators radically decreases the calculation costs of them. Therefore, we developed software agent for automatic modeling of calculation processes of the simulators. The agent makes input data for the simulators, and takes output data by operating the simulators. It also makes training data from both the input and output data, and calculates the models of the calculation processes of the simulators by operating general-purpose modeling software. We applied the agent to the simulators for CVD deposition profiles on the substrates with micrometer-sized trenches. The agent successfully made the good training data, and proposed good models of the calculation processes by use of neural networks.