Selected Publications - 2004:
1) Ab initio study of Pr oxides for CMOS technology
J. Dabrowski and V. Zavodinsky*
IHP Microelectronics, Im Technologiepark 25, 15236 Frankfurt (Oder), Germany
* Institute of Materials Sciences, 153 Tikhookeanskaya, 680042, Khabarovsk, Russia
NIC Series 20, (2004), 171, by John von Neumann Institute for Computing (ISBN 3-00-012372-5).
We performed ab initio pseudopotential DFT calculations providing insight into the atomic structures and processes responsible for the quality of alternative gate dielectrics in deep sub-100nm CMOS technologies. Here we summarize our results on point defects in Pr2O3, on the interface structure between Pr oxides and Si(001), and on the interface oxidation and formation mechanism of the interfacial layer.
2) Predictive Simulation of Semiconductor Processing – Status and Challenges
J. Dabrowski and E. R. Weber* (Editors)
Springer Series in MATERIALS SCIENCE
IHP Microelectronics, Im Technologiepark 25, 15236 Frankfurt (Oder), Germany
* University of California., Berkeley, USA
Springer-Verlag Berlin, Heidelberg 2004
Modeling and simulation has accompanied semiconductor process development in the last thirty years. Device development costs could be substantially lowered and development time shortened by simulations that accompanied the experimental process development and optimization. Those simulations were generally based on more or less phenomenological descriptions developed by fitting experimental results. Therefore, they were valid only within a specific parameter range, i.e. they allowed interpolations but only rarely extrapolations. There are exceptions to this picture, such as the prediction of implantation profiles by the LSS theory that was from the beginning based on atomistic understandings of the underlying processes. However, in many other areas such as diffusion processes we know today that the underlying physical picture considered in early process simulators was quite off reality.
The development of reliable ab-initio theory based generally on the density functional approach marked an important breakthrough towards the development of predictive theories. Simultaneously, improved experiments specifically targeted at studying specific materials and defect processes such as transient enhanced diffusion of native defect incorporation as a function of crystal growth parameters allowed to test theory in a meaningful way.
The combination of these two research approaches results in the development of truly predictive process simulation that turns out to be a necessity for a meaningful simulation of current and future generations of Si integrated circuits. These push the critical device parameters into areas not included in most experiments and therefore required predictive simulations based on realistic models accompanied by state-of-the-art theory.
The contribution in the current volume of are intended for researchers, graduate students as well process engineers interested to obtain a comprehensive picture of our current understanding of the physical basis of silicon processing and the opportunities and challenges for predictive process simulation.
3) Transistors and Atoms
J. Dabrowski, E. R. Weber*, H.-J. Müssig, W. Schröter**
IHP Microelectronics, Im Technologiepark 25, 15236 Frankfurt (Oder), Germany
* University of California., Berkeley, USA
** Universität Göttingen, Fachbereich Physik, Germany
in “Predictive Simulation of Semiconductor Processing – Status and Challenges”, Springer Series in MATERIALS SCIENCE, Chapter 1, Springer-Verlag Berlin, Heidelberg 2004
The unprecedented success of the „silicon revolution“ has demonstrated that a new microelectronic technology can be developed and the existing one optimized in a straightforward way: by experimenting with processing parameters during production. The loss of some runs is treated as a contribution to the cost of production. But as these runs become more and more expensive, the importance of computer-aided design tools simulating device / circuit manufacture and operating is increasing. We summarize the topics in basic materials science which are likely to match the needs of the mainstream semiconductor technology, the complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) which is entering into the atomic-scale regime. In order to maintain the current pace of technological progress and still be economically viable, extreme control of atomistic processes is needed. The resulting new challenges for simulation of technological processes call for intensified, focused basic research. We discuss the prospective subjects and their technological background. We address the needs and the current status of research in the fields covered (doping, deposition, reliability, and device physics). In more detail in other chapters, and we briefly mention the situation in fields that are beyond the scope of this book (crystal growth, lithography, planarization, yield, and packaging). We also introduce the reader to the CMOS technology and to atomistic simulation techniques, and present the general trends in miniaturization.