A TCAD tool for the simulation of the CVD process based on cellular automata

Abstract
The development of next-generation VLSI circuits with deep submicron technologies demands fundamental understanding of the wafer surface reaction kinetics. Technology cornputer-aided design (TCAD) is essential for modeling real fabrication processes accurately, and allowing predictive simulation during technology research and development. This paper describes a two-dimensional Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) process TCAD system based on cellular automata (CAs). The proposed TCAD system can handle the complicated boundary and initial conditions imposed by defects and provide SEM-like cross sectional views. The simulated profiles obtained are in very good agreement with experimental and simulation results found in the literature. Furthermore, a user-friendly interface that enables easy and effective interaction between the user and the TCAD system has been developed.