SUPREM-IV is a two-dimensional process simulator [3], which was developed at the Stanford University (Department of Electrical Engineering) in the TCAD group of Prof. Robert Dutton [4], with SUPREM a pioneer in TCAD. For oxidation SUPREM-IV has a compress and a viscous mechanical model [5]. The compress model treats the oxide as compressible liquid, while the viscous model treats the oxide as an incompressible viscous liquid. SUPREM-IV, the successor of the one-dimensional version SUPREM-III , is the basis for the two commercial tools TSUPREM-IV and ATHENA.
TSUPREM-IV [6] was the commercial version of SUPREM-IV from the company Technology Modeling Associates Inc. (TMA). TMA was founded out of Stanford University 1979 with Prof. Dutton as director and started the commercial TCAD business [7]. Approximately 20 years later, in 1998 TMA was acquired by the 1986 founded company Avant! Corp. In the last Avant! release 2002 TSUPREM-IV offers for oxidation a compress, viscous, and also a visco-elastic model [6]. Last release, because in 2002 Avant! itself was acquired by the company Synopsys Inc.
ATHENA [8] is the commercial version of SUPREM-IV from the private company Silvaco International [9], which still distributes ATHENA. Silvaco was founded 1984 by Dr. Ivan Pesic [10] and is since this time successful on the TCAD market. ATHENA was never extended to three dimensions and thus it is still only a two-dimensional tool [11]. ATHENA also has the same compress and viscous mechanical models like the university version SUPREM-IV.
In 1992 TMA started a project for a new three-dimensional process simulator which is mainly based on the level-set algorithm. After TMA was acquired, Avant! released this product 1998 with the name TAURUS [12]. The mechanics during oxidation is described with a visco-elastic model. Because of the problems with moving boundaries in three dimensions, TAURUS has never become a complete stable three-dimensional process simulator [13].
The Integrated Systems Laboratories at the ETH Zurich also developed a two-dimensional process simulator named DIOS [14], which came out 1992. Later, in December 1993 the company Integrated Systems Engineering AG (ISE) was founded as a spin-off of the university laboratories. Since this time ISE distributed DIOS as a commercial tool. In the last 2004 ISE TCAD release, a viscous, elastic, or visco-elastic model for the mechanical problem can be applied. This was the last release, because in 2004 ISE was also acquired by Synopsys.
In 1993 a first version of the Florida Object-Oriented Process Simulator (FLOOPS) was completed. FLOOPS was developed at the University of Florida in the Electrical Engineering Department of Prof. Mark Law [15]. Already 1996 the PhD student Stephen Cea presented that FLOOPS has been extended from two to three dimensions and three-dimensional oxidation simulation can be performed [16]. Since 1996 the work has been continued to reach a stable three-dimensional tool, because even the actual FLOOPS version is still a little buggy for three-dimensional oxidation [17]. The 2002 release of FLOOPS was commercialized by ISE in the same year and henceforth promoted as the next generation three-dimensional process tool [18]. With the additional developments of ISE the so-called FLOOPS-ISE became a stable three-dimensional oxidation simulator. FLOOPS-ISE has the same mechanical models as DIOS (viscous, elastic, and viscoelastic), but extended for three-dimensional structures [19].
The company Synopsys Inc. [20] was founded in 1986. After Synopsys acquired Avant! and ISE, it holds now the licenses for all former Avant! and ISE tools and has with 80% market share nearly a monopoly in the TCAD market [13]. Silvaco is the only remaining competitor. For two-dimensional process simulation Synopsys sells now the packages DIOS and TAURUS-TSUPREM-IV [21]. After merging with ISE, Synopsys started to transfer the best features of DIOS, TAURUS and TSUPREM-IV to the FLOOPS-ISE platform for generating a new three-dimensional process simulator [22]. The first release of the new simulator with the name SENTAURUS [23] was carried out in 2005 [24].