THE application of computer simulation is now established as an essential tool in the development of new processes and new device structures. Traditionally, new technology development has been guided by an experimental `trial-and-error' approach which might require many iterations to optimize a new process. The use of accurate simulation tools in the proper computing environment allows for `computer experiments' which are comparatively inexpensive, in both time and money. Moreover, simulation gives the designer insight into the internal behavior of a device.
A modern integrated circuit process contains several hundred individual fabrication steps which may be classified into the three areas: (1) pattern definition (lithography), (2) pattern transfer (etching and deposition), and (3) thermal processing and doping.
This work focuses on the third category, in particular on the two-dimensional prediction of dopant profiles in nonplanar structures.