The MURI Center on Modeling and Control of Plasma Processing at the University of Michigan started in September, 1995, and concluded technical work at the end of August 2001. As the name indicates, the major research goals of the center are in the areas of modeling and control of plasma deposition and etching processing. These plasma processes are used extensively in the manufacture of integrated circuits as well as active matrix liquid crystal displays. These applications areas motivate our selection of research problems in modeling and control. Significant accomplishments were made in all of these areas (as will be discussed in the body of the report) Particular program highlights include: (1) An optical technique was developed to monitor in situ and in real time the critical dimensions and wall-shapes of evolving features in reactive ion etchers. An advanced signal processing scheme was devised to use this technique to perform the first fully-automated etch-to-target-dimension etches. One-nanometer-level (or better) accuracy was demonstrated enabling possibilities for extremely high accuracy semiconductor fabrication control. (2) The state-of-the-art of 1st principles plasma equipment modeling was advanced so that the entire system of the sensors, plasma process equipment, and control systems could be modeled numerically. (3) Novel RF Sensing to non-invasively measure the electrical state of plasma systems was developed and applications to detecting common faults were demonstrated. (4) Improved statistical methods for detecting and identifying the causes of spatially clustered defects in semiconductor manufacturing. (5) Development of a novel ion-beam modification process for the deposition of Al films which are more resistant to grain-growth.

In spite of its high cost and technical importance, plasma equipment is still largely designed empirically, with little help from computer simulation. Plasma process control is rudimentary. Optimization of plasma reactor operation, including adjustments to deal with increasingly stringent controls on plant emissions, is performed predominantly by trial and error. There is now a strong and growing economic incentive to improve on the traditional methods of plasma reactor and process design, optimization, and control. An obvious strategy for both chip manufacturers and plasma equipment suppliers is to employ large-scale modeling and simulation. The major roadblock to further development of this promising strategy is the lack of a database for the many physical and chemical processes that occur in the plasma. The data that are currently available are often scattered throughout the scientific literature, and assessments of their reliability are usually unavailable. Database Needs for Modeling and Simulation of Plasma Processing identifies strategies to add data to the existing database, to improve access to the database, and to assess the reliability of the available data. In addition to identifying the most important needs, this report assesses the experimental and theoretical/computational techniques that can be used, or must be developed, in order to begin to satisfy these needs.

This volume demonstrates that the key to the modeling, diagnosis and control of the next generation manufacturing processes is to integrate knowledge-based systems with traditional techniques. An up-to-date study is given here of this relatively recent development.The book is for those working primarily with traditional techniques and those working in the knowledge-based systems field. Both sets of readers will find it to be a source of many specific ideas about the integration of knowledge-based systems with traditional techniques, and carrying a wealth of useful references.

Plasma processing of materials is a critical technology to several of the largest manufacturing industries in the worldâ€"electronics, aerospace, automotive, steel, biomedical, and toxic waste management. This book describes the relationship between plasma processes and the many industrial applications, examines in detail plasma processing in the electronics industry, highlights the scientific foundation underlying this technology, and discusses education issues in this multidisciplinary field. The committee recommends a coordinated, focused, and well-funded research program in this area that involves the university, federal laboratory, and industrial sectors of the community. It also points out that because plasma processing is an integral part of the infrastructure of so many American industries, it is important for both the economy and the national security that America maintain a strong leadership role in this technology.

This Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) between Innovative Computing Technologies, Inc. (IC Tech) and Martin Marietta Energy Systems (MMES) was undertaken to contribute to improved process control for microelectronic device fabrication. Process data from an amorphous silicon thin film deposition experiment was acquired to validate the performance of an intelligent, adaptive, neurally-inspired control software module designed to provide closed loop control of plasma processing machines used in the microelectronics industry. Data acquisition software was written using LabView The data was collected from an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) source, which was available for this project through LMES's RF/Microwave Technology Center. Experimental parameters measured were RF power, RF current and voltage on the antenna delivering power to the plasma, hydrogen and silane flow rate, chamber pressure, substrate temperature and H-alpha optical emission. Experimental results obtained were poly-crystallin silicon deposition rate, crystallinity, crystallographic orientation and electrical conductivity. Owing to experimental delays resulting from hardware failures, it was not possible to assemble a complete data for IC Tech use within the time and resource constraints of the CRADA. IC Tech was therefore not able to verify the performance of their existing models and control structures and validate model performance under this CRADA.

This book provides a systemized presentation of new techniques and methods in electronics manufacture. It helps the reader reduce the cost and increase the reliability of electronic products by employing up-to-date technology. It also details the latest ideas for reducing the scale of electronic components and products to the nano-scale by organizing all the elements of the complicated modern electronics manufacturing process showing how they affect each other.