Application of molecular simulation methods for the study of chemical vapor
deposition
M. Petersen1 (
) and
N. Reynolds2 (
)
1Accelrys, 9685 Scranton Road, San Diego, CA 92121 USA
2Accelrys, 200 Wheeler Road, Burlington, MA 01803 USA
The electronics industry is driven by the trend for miniaturization. As
component dimensions shrink, conventional materials quickly reach their limits
where novel materials are essential to bridge the gaps. Molecular modeling can
provide insights on inter-relationship between properties and electrical,
thermal, and reliability aspects of devices, and allow one to ask detailed
questions without the need for many complex experimental characterizations.
Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is an essential process in the production of
devices such as microprocessors and memory chips. A special case of CVD,
Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD), has received increased attention recently
because of its potential application for the deposition of high k gate oxides,
copper diffusion barriers, conformal seed layers, and storage capacitor
dielectrics. ALD allows deposition of atoms or molecules on a wafer a single
layer at a time. Quantum chemistry calculations provide reaction mechanisms
and mechanistic data that would be extremely time-consuming, and often
impossible, to measure experimentally. This data provides input for
process-scale simulation of CVD/ALD equipment. This investigation will focus
on simulations of the early and late stages of ALD processing for high k
dielectric materials.