Advanced SEM Simulation Software for the Semiconductor Industry

AMAG Consulting is developing a thorough, powerful, yet intuitive GUI for NIST’s software JMONSEL, AMAG SimuSEM, which simulates, using best open models from academia built into JMONSEL’s core physics kernel, electron beam/solid interactions and SEM image generation. SimuSEM already greatly improves JMONSEL’s utility, productivity, flexibility, visualization, accessibility, scale, speed and achievable complexity, while keeping the original well-validated physics by NIST entirely unchanged. SimuSEM is now a commercial product with a small group of originally-funding customers to date, and to improve its applicability to more customers’ use cases, SimuSEM needs some important features/augmentations to solve additional important simulation cases, so needs addition/integration of meshing and charging, which are to be established in this project. SimuSEM is beginning to fill this key industry capability gap, enabling model-based algorithm development to improve process control, hybrid metrology comparisons involving SEM, SEM imaging condition optimization, limits/feasibility studies, faux image generation for AI training, calibration of analytical models, and fundamental understanding of signal generation, all critical for successful metrology of future shrinking devices. However, inclusion of charging model and rough surface capabilities are necessary for accurate simulation of pertinent dielectric materials which charge under SEM, thus SimuSEM needs a charging model implemented.