SBIR Phase II: Computational Tool for Plasma Equipment Design Using a Non-Statistical Boltzmann Solver

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This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will further develop, validate and demonstrate a Computer-Aided Design (CAD) tool for plasma equipment/processes using a non-statistical Boltzmann solver for the analysis of charged particle kinetics. Phase I implemented a new Boltzmann module and clearly demonstrated the feasibility of coupling a Bolzmann solver to the company's plasma simulator for efficient kinetic description of low-pressure plasma reactors used in semiconductor manufacturing. The Phase II project will focus on: (1) the development of elliptic representation of the velocity distribution function (VDF) valid for arbitrary anisotropy of the VDF; (2) full integration of the Boltzmann solver with a commercial software; (3) kinetic simulations for industrial plasma systems; and (4) interfacing the Boltzmann module with plasma simulation codes developed by different research groups. Using an elliptic representation will extend the applicability of the Boltzmann solver to problems with arbitrary VDF anisotropy such as electron beams, ion kinetics, etc. The goal of Phase II will be to validate the new CAD tool for wide variety of plasma technologies and expand the software usage to new industries. The total commercial markets of plasma etch and Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) equipment is currently in excess of $2 billion per annum with strong projections for growth. Commercial application of the proposed software tool will allow optimization of the performance of all hardware equipment of this market and to "smartly" design new equipment. It is projected to "save" millions of dollars of equipment and process development costs to Plasma Equipment Manufacturers and to semiconductor chip producing companies.