Octree-search Kinetic Monte Carlo

✍ Scribed by M.A. Gosálvez; Y. Xing; K. Sato; R.M. Nieminen

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2010
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 837 KB
• Volume: 159
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0924-4247
• DOI: 10.1016/j.sna.2010.02.003

✦ Synopsis

We present a Kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) method based on an octree data representation and search algorithm for the simulation of complex Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) structures and, in general, complex, multi-valued surfaces propagating in 3D space. The experimental etch rate distribution for a wet etched spherical sample is correctly described and the propagation of the surface is in good agreement with the experiments for various applications. The algorithm leads to a faster tree-based search, efficient updating and good modeling ability for dynamic surfaces. Speedup factors of 3-4 over similar methods are obtained while the use of memory is reduced by 50-80% with respect to standard practice, with the factor increasing for larger simulations.