Mathematical Modeling of Diffusion and Ion Implantation in Semiconductor Manufacturing

Keywords: diffusion and ion implantation,diffusion,ion implantation,dopant diffusion,fick law,implant profile,gaussian profile,pearson distribution,ted,transient enhanced diffusion,thermal budget,semiconductor doping

Mathematical Modeling of Diffusion and Ion Implantation in Semiconductor Manufacturing

Part I: Diffusion Modeling

Fundamental Equations

Dopant redistribution in silicon at elevated temperatures is governed by Fick's Laws .

Fick's First Law

Relates flux to concentration gradient:

$$ J = -D \frac{\partial C}{\partial x} $$

Where:

• $J$ — Atomic flux (atoms/cm²·s)
• $D$ — Diffusion coefficient (cm²/s)
• $C$ — Concentration (atoms/cm³)
• $x$ — Position (cm)

Fick's Second Law

The diffusion equation follows from continuity:

$$ \frac{\partial C}{\partial t} = D \frac{\partial^2 C}{\partial x^2} $$

This parabolic PDE admits analytical solutions for idealized boundary conditions.

Temperature Dependence

The diffusion coefficient follows an Arrhenius relationship :

$$ D(T) = D_0 \exp\left(-\frac{E_a}{kT}\right) $$

Parameters:

• $D_0$ — Pre-exponential factor (cm²/s)
• $E_a$ — Activation energy (eV)
• $k$ — Boltzmann's constant ($8.617 \times 10^{-5}$ eV/K)
• $T$ — Absolute temperature (K)

Typical Values for Phosphorus in Silicon:

Diffusion approximately doubles every 10–15°C near typical process temperatures (900–1100°C).

Classical Analytical Solutions

Case 1: Constant Surface Concentration (Predeposition)

Boundary Conditions:

• $C(0, t) = C_s$ (constant surface concentration)
• $C(\infty, t) = 0$ (zero at infinite depth)
• $C(x, 0) = 0$ (initially undoped)

Solution:

$$ C(x,t) = C_s \cdot \text{erfc}\left(\frac{x}{2\sqrt{Dt}}\right) $$

Complementary Error Function:

$$ \text{erfc}(z) = 1 - \text{erf}(z) = \frac{2}{\sqrt{\pi}} \int_z^{\infty} e^{-u^2} \, du $$

Total Incorporated Dose:

$$ Q(t) = \frac{2 C_s \sqrt{Dt}}{\sqrt{\pi}} $$

Case 2: Fixed Dose (Drive-in Diffusion)

Boundary Conditions:

• $\displaystyle\int_0^{\infty} C \, dx = Q$ (constant total dose)
• $\displaystyle\frac{\partial C}{\partial x}\bigg|_{x=0} = 0$ (no flux at surface)

Solution (Gaussian Profile):

$$ C(x,t) = \frac{Q}{\sqrt{\pi Dt}} \exp\left(-\frac{x^2}{4Dt}\right) $$

Peak Surface Concentration:

$$ C(0,t) = \frac{Q}{\sqrt{\pi Dt}} $$

Junction Depth Calculation

The metallurgical junction forms where dopant concentration equals background doping $C_B$.

For erfc Profile:

$$ x_j = 2\sqrt{Dt} \cdot \text{erfc}^{-1}\left(\frac{C_B}{C_s}\right) $$

For Gaussian Profile:

$$ x_j = 2\sqrt{Dt \cdot \ln\left(\frac{Q}{C_B \sqrt{\pi Dt}}\right)} $$

Concentration-Dependent Diffusion

At high doping concentrations (approaching or exceeding intrinsic carrier concentration $n_i$), diffusivity becomes concentration-dependent.

Generalized Model:

$$ D = D^0 + D^{-}\frac{n}{n_i} + D^{+}\frac{p}{n_i} + D^{=}\left(\frac{n}{n_i}\right)^2 $$

Physical Interpretation:

Resulting Nonlinear PDE:

$$ \frac{\partial C}{\partial t} = \frac{\partial}{\partial x}\left(D(C) \frac{\partial C}{\partial x}\right) $$

This requires numerical solution methods.

Point Defect Mediated Diffusion

Modern process modeling couples dopant diffusion to point defect dynamics.

Governing System of PDEs:

$$ \frac{\partial C_I}{\partial t} = abla \cdot (D_I abla C_I) - k_{IV} C_I C_V + G_I - R_I $$

$$ \frac{\partial C_V}{\partial t} = abla \cdot (D_V abla C_V) - k_{IV} C_I C_V + G_V - R_V $$

$$ \frac{\partial C_A}{\partial t} = abla \cdot (D_{AI} C_I abla C_A) + \text{(clustering terms)} $$

Variable Definitions:

• $C_I$ — Interstitial concentration
• $C_V$ — Vacancy concentration
• $C_A$ — Dopant atom concentration
• $k_{IV}$ — Interstitial-vacancy recombination rate
• $G$ — Generation rate
• $R$ — Surface recombination rate

Part II: Ion Implantation Modeling

Energy Loss Mechanisms

Implanted ions lose energy through two mechanisms:

Total Stopping Power:

$$ S(E) = -\frac{dE}{dx} = S_n(E) + S_e(E) $$

Nuclear Stopping (Elastic Collisions)

Dominates at low energies :

$$ S_n(E) = \frac{\pi a^2 \gamma E \cdot s_n(\varepsilon)}{1 + M_2/M_1} $$

Where:

• $\gamma = \displaystyle\frac{4 M_1 M_2}{(M_1 + M_2)^2}$ — Energy transfer factor
• $a$ — Screening length
• $s_n(\varepsilon)$ — Reduced nuclear stopping

Electronic Stopping (Inelastic Interactions)

Dominates at high energies :

$$ S_e(E) \propto \sqrt{E} $$

(at intermediate energies)

LSS Theory

Lindhard, Scharff, and Schiøtt developed universal scaling using reduced units.

Reduced Energy:

$$ \varepsilon = \frac{a M_2 E}{Z_1 Z_2 e^2 (M_1 + M_2)} $$

Reduced Path Length:

$$ \rho = 4\pi a^2 N \frac{M_1 M_2}{(M_1 + M_2)^2} \cdot x $$

This allows tabulation of universal range curves applicable across ion-target combinations.

Gaussian Profile Approximation

First-Order Implant Profile:

$$ C(x) = \frac{\Phi}{\sqrt{2\pi} \, \Delta R_p} \exp\left(-\frac{(x - R_p)^2}{2 \Delta R_p^2}\right) $$

Parameters:

Peak Concentration:

$$ C_{\text{peak}} = \frac{\Phi}{\sqrt{2\pi} \, \Delta R_p} \approx \frac{0.4 \, \Phi}{\Delta R_p} $$

Higher-Order Moment Distributions

The Gaussian approximation fails for many practical cases. The Pearson IV distribution uses four statistical moments:

Pearson IV Form:

$$ C(x) = \frac{K}{\left[(x-a)^2 + b^2\right]^m} \exp\left(- u \arctan\frac{x-a}{b}\right) $$

Parameters $(a, b, m, u, K)$ are derived from the four moments through algebraic relations.

Skewness Behavior:

• Light ions (B) in heavy substrates → Negative skewness (tail toward surface)
• Heavy ions (As, Sb) in silicon → Positive skewness (tail toward bulk)

Dual Pearson Model

For channeling tails or complex profiles:

$$ C(x) = f \cdot C_1(x) + (1-f) \cdot C_2(x) $$

Where:

• $C_1(x)$, $C_2(x)$ — Two Pearson distributions with different parameters
• $f$ — Weight fraction

Lateral Distribution

Ions scatter laterally as well:

$$ C(x, r) = C(x) \cdot \frac{1}{2\pi \Delta R_{\perp}^2} \exp\left(-\frac{r^2}{2 \Delta R_{\perp}^2}\right) $$

For Amorphous Targets:

$$ \Delta R_{\perp} \approx \frac{\Delta R_p}{\sqrt{3}} $$

Lateral straggle is critical for device scaling—it limits minimum feature sizes.

Monte Carlo Simulation (TRIM/SRIM)

For accurate profiles, especially in multilayer or crystalline structures, Monte Carlo methods track individual ion trajectories.

Algorithm:

1. Initialize ion position, direction, energy 2. Select free flight path: $\lambda = 1/(N\pi a^2)$ 3. Calculate impact parameter and scattering angle via screened Coulomb potential 4. Energy transfer to recoil: $$T = T_m \sin^2\left(\frac{\theta}{2}\right)$$ where $T_m = \gamma E$ 5. Apply electronic energy loss over path segment 6. Update ion position/direction; cascade recoils if $T > E_d$ (displacement energy) 7. Repeat until $E < E_{\text{cutoff}}$ 8. Accumulate statistics over $10^4 - 10^6$ ion histories

ZBL Interatomic Potential:

$$ V(r) = \frac{Z_1 Z_2 e^2}{r} \, \phi(r/a) $$

Where $\phi$ is the screening function tabulated from quantum mechanical calculations.

Channeling

In crystalline silicon, ions aligned with crystal axes experience reduced stopping.

Critical Angle for Channeling:

$$ \psi_c \approx \sqrt{\frac{2 Z_1 Z_2 e^2}{E \, d}} $$

Where:

• $d$ — Atomic spacing along the channel
• $E$ — Ion energy

Effects:

• Channeled ions penetrate 2–10× deeper
• Creates extended tails in profiles
• Modern implants use 7° tilt or random-equivalent conditions to minimize

Damage Accumulation

Implant damage is quantified by:

$$ D(x) = \Phi \int_0^{\infty} u(E) \cdot F(x, E) \, dE $$

Where:

• $

u(E)$ — Kinchin-Pease damage function (displaced atoms per ion)

• $F(x, E)$ — Energy deposition profile

Amorphization Threshold for Silicon:

$$ \sim 10^{22} \text{ displacements/cm}^3 $$

(approximately 10–15% of atoms displaced)

Part III: Post-Implant Diffusion and Transient Enhanced Diffusion

Transient Enhanced Diffusion (TED)

After implantation, excess interstitials dramatically enhance diffusion until they anneal:

$$ D_{\text{eff}} = D^ \left(1 + \frac{C_I}{C_I^}\right) $$

Where:

• $C_I^*$ — Equilibrium interstitial concentration

"+1" Model for Boron:

$$ \frac{\partial C_B}{\partial t} = \frac{\partial}{\partial x}\left[D_B \left(1 + \frac{C_I}{C_I^*}\right) \frac{\partial C_B}{\partial x}\right] $$

Impact: TED can cause junction depths 2–5× deeper than equilibrium diffusion would predict—critical for modern shallow junctions.

{311} Defect Dissolution Kinetics

Interstitials cluster into rod-like {311} defects that slowly dissolve:

$$ \frac{dN_{311}}{dt} = - u_0 \exp\left(-\frac{E_a}{kT}\right) N_{311} $$

The released interstitials sustain TED, explaining why TED persists for times much longer than point defect diffusion would suggest.

Part IV: Numerical Methods

Finite Difference Discretization

For the diffusion equation on uniform grid $(x_i, t_n)$:

Explicit (Forward Euler)

$$ \frac{C_i^{n+1} - C_i^n}{\Delta t} = D \frac{C_{i+1}^n - 2C_i^n + C_{i-1}^n}{\Delta x^2} $$

Stability Requirement (CFL Condition):

$$ \Delta t < \frac{\Delta x^2}{2D} $$

Implicit (Backward Euler)

$$ \frac{C_i^{n+1} - C_i^n}{\Delta t} = D \frac{C_{i+1}^{n+1} - 2C_i^{n+1} + C_{i-1}^{n+1}}{\Delta x^2} $$

• Unconditionally stable
• Requires solving tridiagonal system each timestep

Crank-Nicolson Method

• Average of explicit and implicit schemes
• Second-order accurate in time
• Results in tridiagonal system

Adaptive Meshing

Concentration gradients vary by orders of magnitude. Adaptive grids refine near:

• Junctions
• Surface
• Implant peaks
• Moving interfaces

Grid Spacing Scaling:

$$ \Delta x \propto \frac{C}{| abla C|} $$

Process Simulation Flow (TCAD)

Modern simulators (Sentaurus Process, ATHENA, FLOOPS) integrate:

1. Implantation → Monte Carlo or analytical tables 2. Damage model → Amorphization, defect clustering 3. Annealing → Coupled dopant-defect PDEs 4. Oxidation → Deal-Grove kinetics, stress effects, OED 5. Silicidation, epitaxy, etc. → Specialized models

Output feeds device simulation (drift-diffusion, Monte Carlo transport).

Part V: Key Process Design Equations

Thermal Budget

The characteristic diffusion length after multiple thermal steps:

$$ \sqrt{Dt}_{\text{total}} = \sqrt{\sum_i D_i t_i} $$

For Varying Temperature $T(t)$:

$$ Dt = \int_0^{t_f} D_0 \exp\left(-\frac{E_a}{kT(t')}\right) dt' $$

Sheet Resistance

$$ R_s = \frac{1}{q \displaystyle\int_0^{x_j} \mu(C) \cdot C(x) \, dx} $$

For Uniform Mobility Approximation:

$$ R_s \approx \frac{1}{q \mu Q} $$

Electrical measurements to profile parameters.

Implant Dose-Energy Selection

Target Peak Concentration:

$$ C_{\text{peak}} = \frac{0.4 \, \Phi}{\Delta R_p(E)} $$

Target Depth (Empirical):

$$ R_p(E) \approx A \cdot E^n $$

Where:

• $n \approx 0.6 - 0.8$ (depending on energy regime)
• $A$ — Ion-target dependent constant

Key Mathematical Tools:

abla \cdot (D abla C)$ | Analytical (erfc, Gaussian) or FEM/FDM |

abla \cdot (D abla C)$ in 2D/3D | Finite element methods |

Common Dopant Properties in Silicon:

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