A pragmatic approach to integrated process/device/circuit simulation for IC technology development

A novel approach to integrated process/device/circuit simulation is proposed. It makes pragmatic, computationally efficient IC technology CAD (computer-aided design) possible at the mixed-mode device/circuit level. The approach is demonstrated with a simulation system for advanced bipolar technologies. This system comprises the process simulator SUPREM-3 integrated with the seminumerical mixed-mode device/circuit simulator MMSPICE by a program called SUMM. The integration is characterized by the unique evaluation of the physical (structure-dependent) parameters for the MMSPICE BJT (bipolar junction transistor) model from a one-dimensional doping profile generated by SUPREM-3 (without any optimization-based extraction). The predictive capability of the SUMM/MMSPICE integrated system is verified by measurements and purely numerical simulations with PISCES-II. The utility of the system in IC technology development is exemplified by simulations showing the effects of variations in an advanced bipolar process flow on the performance of an ECL circuit.<
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