Model-based equipment design for optimized plasma processing

Abstract

This article discusses the application of models to the design of plasma-processing equipment. Various aspects of hardware design directly impact process results at the wafer surface. These equipment features can be modeled, using piece-wise modules, to optimize a tool for stable wafer processing. Piece-wise modeling, a step forward from the purely empirical "cutting metal" approach, is very useful in the absence of a completely integrated model. Researchers continue to work on comprehensive models to link hardware and process (tool and plasma state) design directly to wafer-processing outcomes (wafer state).