For etching of silicon wafers, experimental testing is currently used to establish the relevant plasma mixes to generate the desired etch. Such testing is an expensive and time-consuming process. With Quantemol-P much of this process can be done outside of the reactor at reduced cost and improved efficiency.

What does Quantemol-P do?

Quantemol-P assists in the research for new plasma recipes and also optimises given processes by simulating etch machines. The simulation inputs used by Quantemol-P match those of the plasma processing tools: power, pressure, gas, time, volume. By performing such calculations the software provides full information of what is happening, giving the process engineers an insight into the problem.

How does Quantemol-P work?

The user need only specify a few basic inputs on the plasma properties (volume, power, pressure, temperature) and on the plasma chemistry (initial chemical composition of the plasma, flow rates, mole fractions).

The Quantemol-P expert system automatically generates a complete chemistry of the plasma which includes gas and surface reactions, and reactions with the chamber walls.

The reaction list is populated through an extensive database of molecular parameters, cross-sections and rates which is contained within the software. Missing data can be obtained and added to the database using Quantemol-N.

Quantemol-P uses a zero-dimensional global model to simulate the plasma.

This model can be applied to a variety of plasma situations, including plasma etch reactors, plug flow reactors and continuously stirred-tank reactors.

Standard outputs are produced and plotted automatically. These outputs comprise of concentration of the various species, gas temperature, gas pressure as a function of time (for a well-mixed plasma reactor) or space (for flowing plasmas).

What are the key advantages of Quantemol-P?

•     Contains a large database of molecular data.
•     Utilises Quantemol-N to obtain missing molecular data.
•     Given a recipe it constructs the chemistry of the plasma for you.
•     Requires only basic input, equivalent to the definition of a plasma recipe.
•     Easy to use graphical interface.
•     Results presented in a flexible, user friendly form.