Merging Atomistic and Continuum Simulations of Silicon Technology - The Best from the Two Worlds

Simulation of diffusion processes during front-end silicon process steps needs to address a variety of highly complicated phenomena. In industrial environments, such simulations are nearly entirely based on continuum approaches. The physics entering into the models, on the other hand, is based on atomistic concepts and benefits considerably from the atomistic simulation capabilities developed until now. The goal of the paper is to highlight the interplay of the methods as well as their specific advantages and limitations.