Abstract - Cale & Raupp/9311977 A modeling and experimental project is planned to develop a method in which deposition experiments on patterned wafers are used to establish heterogeneous reaction kinetics and species transport models required for the design and optimization of low pressure deposition processes. The method takes advantage of the information which can be obtained using film profiles inside features on patterned wafers, in addition to the information which can be obtained from deposition experiments on flat wafers. The PIs plan to use a process simulator that they have developed to determine the parameters of reaction kinetic and species transport submodels to the point where they can be used to reliably predict deposition rates, film profiles and film composition profiles in features on patterned wafers as functions of deposition conditions. These models can include: 10 the total flux of each reactant from the source volume to the wafer surface and into features on the wafer, 20 parameter values for the kinetic model, 3) the angular dependence of the flux of each gas phase species, and 4) the surface diffusion parameter values for surface species. The choice of submodel structures and the values of their parameters are determined by minimizing the differences between experimental and simulated film profiles. Specifically, the PIs will define, develop, test, and demon strate the procedure for a variety of industrially relevant low pressure deposition processes, including chemical vapor deposition, physical vapor deposition and plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition processes. The choice of processes to be investigated will be guided by the changing interests of the microelectronics industry. The PIs will establish the methodology to determine the parameters of new submodels for these processes to the degree required for industrial application. Film profile and deposition rate data will be obtained from experiments performed at Arizona State University as well as in industrial and other academic laboratories.
