Process simulation method, semiconductor device manufacturing method, and process simulator

Abstract

A process simulation method includes: converting condition data of plasma doping for introducing an impurity into a semiconductor in a plasma atmosphere to corresponding condition data of ion implantation for implanting impurities as an ion beam into the semiconductor; and calculating device structure data on the basis of the ion implantation condition data converted from the plasma doping condition data.

1 . A process simulation method comprising:
 converting condition data of plasma doping for introducing an impurity into a semiconductor in a plasma atmosphere to corresponding condition data of ion implantation for implanting impurities as an ion beam into the semiconductor; and   calculating device structure data on the basis of the ion implantation condition data converted from the plasma doping condition data.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the plasma doping condition data includes a gas species introduced into a chamber in which a plasma is generated, and the gas species is converted to an implanted ion species in ion implantation processing. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the plasma doping condition data includes a flow rate of a gas introduced into a chamber in which a plasma is generated, and the gas flow rate is converted to a dose amount of ions in ion implantation processing. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the plasma doping condition data includes an electric power for generating a plasma in a chamber, and the electric power is converted to an ion implantation energy in ion implantation processing. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the plasma doping condition data is converted to the ion implantation condition data by referring to a data table which associates the plasma doping condition data with the ion implantation condition data considered equivalent thereto. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein a condition data of the ion implantation corresponding to the plasma doping condition data lacking in the data table is interpolated from correlation between the plasma doping condition data and the ion implantation condition data in the data table. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein
 the ion implantation condition data includes a total dose amount specified for each ion species, and   the device structure data is calculated on an assumption that the ion species of the total dose amount are implanted into the semiconductor in a plurality of iterations with each dose amount per iteration smaller than the total dose amount.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein an upper limit is defined for the dose amount per the iteration. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the device structure data is calculated on an assumption that different ion species are alternately implanted into the semiconductor. 
     
     
         10 . A process simulator including a process of introducing an impurity into a semiconductor by plasma doping, the process simulator comprising:
 an input device configured to receive condition data of plasma doping as input; and   a processing device configured to convert the inputted condition data of plasma doping to corresponding condition data of ion implantation for implanting an impurity as an ion beam into the semiconductor and calculate device structure data on the basis of the ion implantation condition data.   
     
     
         11 . The simulator of  claim 10 , further comprising:
 a memory device storing a data table which associates the plasma doping condition data with the ion implantation condition data considered equivalent thereto,   the processing device converting the plasma doping condition data to the ion implantation condition data by referring to the data table.