Product Overview

ChISELS (Chemically Induced Surface Evolution with Level-Sets) is a parallel code to model 2-D and 3-D material depositions and etches at feature scales on patterned wafers at low pressures. ChISELS is a platform on which to build and improve upon previous feature-scale modeling tools while taking advantage of the most recent
advances in load balancing and scalable solution algorithms. The framework in which the ChISELS code is built is based upon the level-set method for modeling evolving interfaces. The level-set method, an implicit interface tracking technique, was chosen for its natural ability to handle changes in topology that frequently occur,
for example, when films are grown in high aspect-ratio features in MEMS devices.

From the level-set function, the surface is discretized into linear (planar) elements. A ballistic transport model is employed to solve for the fluxes incident on each of the surface elements. Surface Chemkin is used to model the chemical reactions at each surface element determining the rate of growth of the surface. The collection of these tools is then used to aid in understanding surface chemistry or to model the growth and etch processes used to fabricate MEMS and other microsystems at Sandia National Laboratories.

Coming Fall 2006 ChISELS: A feature-scale microsystems deposition and etching modeler to be released under GPL.

For more information, please visit the ChiSELS website.

• Ability to handle multiple materials exposed on a wafer surface
• Require new accurate surface-chemistry reaction mechanisms
• Simple trial mechanisms recently completed
• Multi-scale modeling will be required to address cross-wafer variability

• ChISELS Abstract (.pdf)
• Sandia Labs 2005 Accomplishments (.pdf)