Film-Growth Model Using Level Sets

A non-transitory computer-program product for use in conjunction with a computer system, the computer-program product comprising a computer-readable storage medium and a computer-program mechanism embedded therein to determine a set of surface profiles, the computer-program mechanism including:

• instructions for receiving a surface profile of a surface in a multilayer stack;
• instructions for calculating a second surface profile of a second surface in the multilayer stack based on a generalized Eikonal equation, a geometry of the multilayer stack and the surface profile, wherein the second surface is associated with a different layer in the multilayer stack than the surface, and wherein the second surface is adjacent to the surface in the multilayer stack;
• and
• instructions for repeating, one or more times, the calculation operation for additional surfaces in the multilayer stack based on a generalized Eikonal equation, a geometry of the multilayer stack, the surface profile, and surface profiles determined in preceding instances of the calculation operation, thereby determining the set of surface profiles, wherein a given additional surface is associated with a different layer in the multilayer stack than the surface profile and the surface profiles determined in preceding instances of the calculation operation, and wherein the given additional surface is adjacent to another surface in the multilayer stack that is associated with another layer in an immediately preceding instance of the calculation operation.

A computer system, comprising:

• at least one processor;
• at least one memory;
• and
• at least one program module, the program module stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the processor to determine a set of surface profiles, the program module including:
• instructions for receiving a surface profile of a surface in a multilayer stack;
• instructions for calculating a second surface profile of a second surface in the multilayer stack based on a generalized Eikonal equation, a geometry of the multilayer stack and the surface profile, wherein the second surface is associated with a different layer in the multilayer stack than the surface, and wherein the second surface is adjacent to the surface in the multilayer stack;
• and
• instructions for repeating, one or more times, the calculation operation for additional surfaces in the multilayer stack based on a generalized Eikonal equation, a geometry of the multilayer stack, the surface profile, and surface profiles determined in preceding instances of the calculation operation, thereby determining the set of surface profiles, wherein a given additional surface is associated with a different layer in the multilayer stack than the surface profile and the surface profiles determined in preceding instances of the calculation operation, and wherein the given additional surface is adjacent to another surface in the multilayer stack that is associated with another layer in an immediately preceding instance of the calculation operation.