AVS 45th International Symposium
    Manufacturing Science and Technology Group Thursday Sessions
       Session MS-ThP

Paper MS-ThP7
Physically-based Dynamic Simulation of a Tungsten CVD Cluster Tool

Thursday, November 5, 1998, 5:30 pm, Room Hall A

Session: Manufacturing Science and Technology Group Poster Session
Presenter: N. Gupta, University of Maryland
Authors: J.N. Kidder, Jr., University of Maryland
N. Gupta, University of Maryland
G.W. Rubloff, University of Maryland
Correspondent: Click to Email
Dynamic, physically-based simulation has proven effective in representing the time-dependent behavior of equipment, process, sensor and control systems. Here we extend previous work to address multichamber cluster tools and to include more complex pumping systems and models. Using a Windows-based simulation program, VisSim(tm) (Visual Solutions, Inc.), we have constructed and validated a system-level dynamic simulator for the Ulvac ERA-1000 tungsten CVD cluster tool at the Laboratory for Advanced Materials Processing, U. Maryland, in order to support research on chemical sensing, control, optimization, and fault management. The simulator reflects the time-dependent behavior of: the vacuum and gas handling components of the load lock, the buffer chamber, the process reactors, multi-stage gas pumping systems (e.g., mechanical and turbo pumps), and the gas delivery and exhaust systems; the process behavior in the reactor chambers; and the dynamics associated with process recipes. This enables the evaluation of dynamic process parameters (e.g., deposition rate, film thickness) as well as manufacturing parameters (e.g., cycle time), so that manufacturing figures of merit can be evaluated as a function of process and equipment design. Synchronous measurements of process variables and equipment state parameters provide experimental validation of the dynamic simulator.