A simulation study on the impact of lithographic process variations on CMOS device performance

Tim Fühner; Christian Kampen; Ina Kodrasi; Alexander Burenkov; Andreas Erdmann

doi:10.1117/12.772768

1 April 2008 A simulation study on the impact of lithographic process variations on CMOS device performance

Tim Fühner, Christian Kampen, Ina Kodrasi, Alexander Burenkov, Andreas Erdmann

Proceedings Volume 6924, Optical Microlithography XXI; 692453 (2008) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.772768
Event: SPIE Advanced Lithography, 2008, San Jose, California, United States

Abstract

In this paper, we demonstrate how a direct coupling of a lithography simulation program and a semiconductor device simulation tool can be used to investigate the impact of lithographic process variations on nano-scaled CMOS devices. In contrast to conventional evaluation criteria such as process windows, mask error enhancement factor (MEEF), or CD (critical dimension) uniformity, the lithography process is regarded in a more holistic fashion as a means to an end. As a consequence, the ultimate figure of merit is determined by the performance of the device. Lithography simulations are conducted using a rigorous EMF solver for the computation of the mask nearfield. TCAD process and device simulations are performed for an ultra thinned body fully depleted silicon on insulator (UTB FD-SOI) nMOSFET, with a physical gate length of 32 nm. Electrical parameters such as on- and off- current, threshold voltage, sub-threshold slope, gate-capacitance, and contact resistances are computed and extracted. The impact of lithographic process variations on the electrical behavior of the target device is surveyed and illustrated. Moreover, we present an adjusted lithography process window defined by the electrical behavior of the device. In addition to a discussion of the obtained results, this paper also focuses on the software design aspects of interfacing a lithography simulation environment with a device simulator. The steps involved in extracting parameters and transferring them from one program to the other are explained, and further automation capabilities are suggested. Moreover, it is illustrated how this approach can be extended towards an integrated litho/device process optimization procedure.

Citation Download Citation

Tim Fühner, Christian Kampen, Ina Kodrasi, Alexander Burenkov, and Andreas Erdmann "A simulation study on the impact of lithographic process variations on CMOS device performance", Proc. SPIE 6924, Optical Microlithography XXI, 692453 (1 April 2008); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.772768

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