Modelling of VLSI semiconductor manufacturing processes

Abstract

The manufacture of complex integrated circuits demanded by present-day system designers requires the assembly of a large number of interacting process steps. Many of these process steps cannot be chosen without considering the effect of the other steps involved in the manufacturing process. A great deal of understanding of the basic physical principles must be employed before a successful manufacturing process can be defined. The optimisation of the steps and their timely introduction to enable the device to enter the marketplace dictates that an efficient means of predicting the impact of a particular recipe must be employed. This review surveys the various physical principles that underly the processing steps, highlights some of the anomalous behaviour that occurs and describes the tools currently available to help the process physicist design diffusion, oxidation, ion implantation, deposition and photo-lithographic routines. An example of the use of these tools, and an indication of forthcoming developments, will be given.