Deposition Interface Modeling for Void-Free Feature Filling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current semiconductor device fabrication processes, particularly electrochemical and vapor deposition processes, lack an automated and accurate method to optimize process parameters for achieving desired deposition profiles in substrates with recessed or protruding features, requiring manual adjustments and skilled personnel.
Innovation Solution
A computational system that defines an interface on a substrate with recessed or protruding features, uses a computational model to determine local deposition rates based on geometric parameters, and adjusts the interface to account for these rates, iteratively refining the process until the desired deposition is achieved, using models that account for chemical species concentrations and curvatures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If manual adjustment of process parameters is used to optimize deposition profiles, then skilled personnel can generate desired target feature profiles, but the process becomes time-consuming and technically difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses computational models to create virtual copies of the deposition process, allowing simulation and optimization of deposition profiles without physical trial-and-error. The model replicates the actual deposition behavior, enabling prediction of outcomes before manufacturing
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically adjusts process parameters based on computational optimization algorithms, transforming the manual parameter tuning process into an automated computational procedure that finds optimal parameter sets efficiently
2Productivity
If automated procedures are implemented to determine process parameters, then time consumption is reduced, but sufficient accuracy is currently not achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The computational model incorporates feedback mechanisms where simulation results are compared with target profiles, and parameter adjustments are made iteratively to converge on optimal values, ensuring both speed and accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary computational simulations to predict deposition outcomes before actual manufacturing, allowing optimization to be completed in silico before physical implementation
3Measurement precision
If computational models account for chemical species concentrations and curvatures, then deposition rate prediction accuracy is improved, but model complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The computational domain is divided into discrete elements or zones where local parameters such as chemical species concentrations and curvatures are calculated independently, allowing complex phenomena to be modeled through systematic breakdown into manageable segments
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enables precise and automated control of deposition processes, improving the accuracy and efficiency of filling recessed features without voids, matching actual results in micrographs and simulations, and adapting to various feature profiles and deposition settings.
Implementation Method 1
the computational model is configured to account for a concentration of a chemical species
Implementation Method 2
the instructions of the system pertain to an electrochemical deposition
Implementation Method 3
the instructions of the system pertain to a vapor deposition such as a chemical vapor deposition
Implementation Method 4
the chemical species may be a chemical species that adsorbs on the features of the surface of the substrate
Data Source
AI summary
A system, method, and/or non-transitory computer readable medium may implement or be configured to implement the following computational operations associated with electrochemical or vapor phase deposition: (a) defining an interface of a substrate where deposition of a deposited material is to occur or is occurring; (b) using a computational model of the deposition to determine a local deposition rate of the deposited material at multiple locations on the interface, where the computational model of the deposition computes the local deposition rate as a function of one or more geometric parameters of the one or more recessed or protruding features; and (c) computationally adjusting the location of the interface to produce an adjusted interface.