Modeling devices in consideration of process fluctuations
OwnerPing Chen, Xisheng Zhanginventors
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Abstract
The present invention includes a method for generating typical and corner device models to account for statistical variations in a semiconductor device fabrication process. The typical and corner models can be generated before the semiconductor device fabrication process is fully developed based on a process specification associated with the semiconductor device fabrication process. The typical and corner models can also be generated with better accuracy after the semiconductor device fabrication process is developed and measured data are available for model generation.
Claims21
A method for determining model parameters in a semiconductor device model, comprising:
- obtaining model information associated with a previous semiconductor device fabrication process;
- calculating values of a set of physical quantities based on the model information;
- and
- retargeting values of a set of model parameters selected from the model information so that the calculated values of the set of physical quantities fit specified values of the set of physical quantities in a process specification.
A method for determining model parameters of a semiconductor device model using data measured on a plurality of semiconductor dies, comprising:
- finding a typical die among the plurality of semiconductor dies based on data measured on the plurality of semiconductor dies;
- and
- retargeting a plurality model parameters extracted based on data measured on the typical die so values of a set of physical quantities calculated using the plurality of model parameters fit specified values of the set of physical quantities in a process specification.
A method for determining corner values of model parameters in a semiconductor device model to account for possible deviations from typical device performance, the typical device performance being modeled by a typical device model including typical values of the model parameters, the method comprising:
- determining sigma values of a set of basic process parameters selected from the model parameters in the device model;
- calculating corner values of the set of basic process parameters using the typical values and the sigma values of the set of basic process parameters;
- and
- calculating corner values of other model parameters that are related to the set of basic process parameters using the typical values of relevant model parameters in the typical device model and sigma values of the set of basic process parameters.
A computer readable medium including computer readable program codes that when executed cause a computer to perform a method for determining model parameters in a semiconductor device model, comprising:
- obtaining values of a set of physical quantities from a process specification associated with a current semiconductor device fabrication process;
- obtaining model information associated with a previous semiconductor device fabrication process;
- and
- retargeting values of a set of model parameters selected from the model information to fit the values of the set of physical quantities.
A computer readable medium including computer readable program codes that when executed cause a computer to perform a method for determining model parameters of a semiconductor device model using data measured on a plurality of semiconductor dies, comprising:
- obtaining values of a set of physical quantities from a process specification associated with a process for fabricating the plurality of semiconductor dies;
- finding a typical die among the plurality of semiconductor dies based on data measured on the plurality of semiconductor dies;
- and
- retargeting values of a set of model parameters extracted using data measured from the typical die to fit the values of the set of physical quantities.
A computer readable medium including computer readable program codes that when executed cause a computer to perform a method for determining corner values of model parameters in a semiconductor device model to account for possible deviations from typical device performance, the typical device performance being modeled by a typical device model including typical values of the model parameters, the method comprising:
- determining sigma values of a set of basic process parameters selected from the model parameters in the device model;
- calculating corner values of the set of basic process parameters using the typical values and the sigma values of the set of basic process parameters;
- and
- calculating corner values of other model parameters that are related to the set of basic process parameters using the typical values of relevant model parameters in the typical device model and sigma values of the set of basic process parameters.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.