Computational materials science for microelectronics - the old and the new challenges

Materials and processes for the fabrication of integrated circuits are chosen to meet several criteria based on (1) performance, (2) manufacturability, (3) reliability and (4) cost. A new generation of technology is introduced approximately every three years by scaling the devices to smaller dimensions. The concomitantly increasing complexity of the design and the manufacturing processes depend more and more on computer modeling to help optimize choices. This paper assesses the state of the science that underlies the areas for which modeling can play a key role and the state of existing computational implementations. The net conclusion is that both science and modeling are in good shape for electronic and electrical properties, but both have a long way to go for materials processing and mechanical reliability. © 1993.