Theoretical Analysis of Thermally Induced Structural Deformation and Relaxation of Silicon Wafer

This work is focussed on the modeling and simulation of structural deformation of silicon wafers during their initial heat-up in a CVD reactor chamber, prior to the chemical vapor deposition process. The wafer structural deformation can lead to some detrimental defects that are unacceptable for semiconductor device processing. In this work, we have developed a numerical model to simulate the wafer structural deformation as a function of some key process parameters. The main objective of this simulation work is to provide guidance on the optimal process conditions at which the wafer deformation and the resulting defects can be minimized.