Numerical Simulation and Technology Computer-Aided Design of Plasma Processing for the Fabrication of Semiconductor Microelectronic Devices

Abstract

Plasma processing, such as etching and deposition, is an indispensable processing technique in the fabrication of modern semiconductor microelectronic devices. Nowadays, increasingly strict requirements are being imposed on plasma processing technology, as integrated circuit device dimensions continue to be scaled down. The numerical simulation is strongly required for a better understanding of the physics and chemistry underlying the processing, and for a design of plasma reactors and plasma processes requiring less experimental efforts. This paper presents an on-going study of the plasma simulation for plasma reactors and the process simulation for microstructural features on substrates, in view of the goal to a technology computer-aided design (TCAD) of plasma processing. Attention is placed on etching in parallel-plate radio frequency (rf) and inductively coupled plasmas, with emphasis on the physical and chemical model used in the simulation.