An atomic level model for silicon anisotropic etching processes: Cellular automaton simulation and experimental verification

An atomic level model with comprehensive physical and chemical concepts is developed, and the model can accurately simulate silicon anisotropic etching processes with high-index planes. The model describes the contributions from the first nearest atoms, the direct second nearest atoms, the indirect second nearest atoms, and their locations with respect to the etching surface to the etching processes of surface atoms. The atomic level model, combining with a dynamic algorithm, has been extended to a simulation system based on a cellular automaton method and the simulation results demonstrate to be in good agreement with the experimental results.