A novel 3-D dynamic cellular automata model for photoresist-etching process simulation

作者：Zhou Zai Fa^*; Huang Qing An; Li Wei Hua; Lu Wei

来源：IEEE Transactions on Computer-Aided Design of Integrated Circuits and Systems, 2007, 26(1): 100-114.

DOI：10.1109/TCAD.2006.882510

• cellular automata (CA)
• modeling
• photolithography simulation
• process simulation
• technology computer-aided design (TCAD)

A novel three-dimensional (3-D) dynamic cellular automata (CA) model is presented for a photoresist-etching process simulation (photoresist-dissolution simulation and development simulation). In the 3-D dynamic CA model, the Moore neighborhood is adopted, and the boundary cells are only processed by using a boundary cell array, a corresponding linked list of pointers to the boundary cells, and a state flag to indicate the relations between the cells and the etching boundary. A time-compensation method is also introduced to speed up the photoresist-etching simulation. Therefore, the simulation speed is greatly increased compared with that of the static 3-D CA model, and the preferential etch in different directions reported in cell-removal models is significantly reduced. The 3-D dynamic CA model was successfully tested using some well-known etch-rate distribution test functions and has been shown to be stable, accurate, and fast. Exposure simulation, post-exposure bake simulation, and photoresist-etching simulation have been successfully integrated together to further study the effectiveness of the 3-D dynamic CA model. Simulation results show an agreement with available experimental results.

• 出版日期2007-1
• 单位东南大学