Computational tool for analyzing stress in thin films

A computational model has been developed to analyze calculations of residual stress in thin films determined from in-situ wafer curvature measurements. The model is based on several physical mechanisms that have been proposed to control the stress, including the effect of growth kinetics, grain growth and energetic particle bombardment. From a set of data, the program determines a set of kinetic parameters that can be used to understand the processes controlling stress. These parameters can be used to estimate the stress that will develop under different processing conditions in order to obtain a desired stress state. Several examples are described that illustrate the program's capabilities, including the effects of growth rate, growth temperature and particle energy (via chamber pressure in sputter deposition). Interested researchers may obtain the program and associated documentation to use the program to analyze their own data.