Uncertainty quantification and parameter optimization of plasma etching process using heteroscedastic Gaussian process

Fuente: arXiv
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jung, Yongsu, Kang, Minji, Kim, Muyoung, Choi, Min Sup, Kim, Hyeong-U, Kim, Jaekwang
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866912693265367040
author Jung, Yongsu
Kang, Minji
Kim, Muyoung
Choi, Min Sup
Kim, Hyeong-U
Kim, Jaekwang
author_facet Jung, Yongsu
Kang, Minji
Kim, Muyoung
Choi, Min Sup
Kim, Hyeong-U
Kim, Jaekwang
contents This study presents a comprehensive framework for uncertainty quantification (UQ) and design optimization of plasma etching in semiconductor manufacturing. The framework is demonstrated using experimental measurements of etched depth collected at nine wafer locations under various plasma conditions. A heteroscedastic Gaussian process (hetGP) surrogate model is employed to capture the complex uncertainty structure in the data, enabling distinct quantification of (a) spatial variability across the wafer and (b) process-related uncertainty arising from variations in chamber pressure, gas flow rate, and RF power. Epistemic uncertainty due to sparse data is further quantified and incorporated into a reliability-based design optimization (RBDO) scheme. The proposed method identifies optimal process parameters that minimize spatial variability of etch depth while maintaining reliability under both aleatory and epistemic uncertainties. The results demonstrate that this framework effectively integrates data-driven surrogate modeling with robust optimization, enhancing predictive accuracy and process reliability. Moreover, the proposed approach is generalizable to other semiconductor processes, such as photolithography, where performance is highly sensitive to multifaceted uncertainties.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2511_04990
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Uncertainty quantification and parameter optimization of plasma etching process using heteroscedastic Gaussian process
Jung, Yongsu
Kang, Minji
Kim, Muyoung
Choi, Min Sup
Kim, Hyeong-U
Kim, Jaekwang
Popular Physics
Applications
This study presents a comprehensive framework for uncertainty quantification (UQ) and design optimization of plasma etching in semiconductor manufacturing. The framework is demonstrated using experimental measurements of etched depth collected at nine wafer locations under various plasma conditions. A heteroscedastic Gaussian process (hetGP) surrogate model is employed to capture the complex uncertainty structure in the data, enabling distinct quantification of (a) spatial variability across the wafer and (b) process-related uncertainty arising from variations in chamber pressure, gas flow rate, and RF power. Epistemic uncertainty due to sparse data is further quantified and incorporated into a reliability-based design optimization (RBDO) scheme. The proposed method identifies optimal process parameters that minimize spatial variability of etch depth while maintaining reliability under both aleatory and epistemic uncertainties. The results demonstrate that this framework effectively integrates data-driven surrogate modeling with robust optimization, enhancing predictive accuracy and process reliability. Moreover, the proposed approach is generalizable to other semiconductor processes, such as photolithography, where performance is highly sensitive to multifaceted uncertainties.
title Uncertainty quantification and parameter optimization of plasma etching process using heteroscedastic Gaussian process
topic Popular Physics
Applications
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2511.04990