A TCAD system for VLSI implementation of the CVD process using VHDL

Abstract

Technology computer-aided design (TCAD) is essential for the design of modern integrated circuit fabrication processes. TCAD tools must not only model real processes accurately, to allow predictive simulation during technology research and development, but must work together as an integrated system to allow efficient exploration of new technology options and to perform numerical experiments. Cellular automata (CAs) have been applied successfully to the simulation of several physical systems and processes, and have been extensively used as VLSI architecture. This paper describes a TCAD system for the simulation of the two-dimensional (2-D) chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. The TCAD system is fully automated and is also able to support, the hardware implementation of the corresponding CA algorithm, leading to its execution by dedicated parallel processor. The obtained simulation profiles of the CVD process are in very good qualitative agreement with experimental and simulation results found in the literature. The proposed system produces as output the corresponding VHDL code, which leads to the very large-scale integrated (VLSI) implementation of the CA algorithm. Furthermore, a user-friendly interface that enables easy and effective interaction between the user and the TCAD system has been developed. No prior knowledge of VHDL is required by the user. The produced VHDL code is synthesizable and can be used for the automated design of the corresponding VLSI system, using a commercial VLSI CAD system.