Modeling the Properties of PECVD Silicon Dioxide Films Using Polynomial Neural Networks

In this paper, Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) modeling using Polynomial Neural Networks (PNN) has been introduced. The deposition of SiO2 was characterized via a 25-1 fractional factorial experiment, was used to train PNNs using predicted squared error (PSE). The optimal neural network structure and learning parameters were determined by means of a second fractional factorial experiment. The optimized networks minimized both learning and prediction error. From these PNN process models, the effect of deposition conditions on film properties has been studied. The deposition experiments were carried out in a Plasma Therm 700 series PECVD system. The models obtained will ultimately be used for several other manufacturing applications, including recipe synthesis and process control.