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Semiconductor Chip Manufacturing VR Training Module

An immersive VR experience developed at the University of Cincinnati’s Digital Futures Smart Manufacturing Lab to simulate modern clean-room semiconductor fabrication processes. This initiative supports workforce development in the chip industry through realistic, risk-free virtual training—encompassing photolithography, etching, annealing, sheet resistivity measurement, and thin-film deposition.

In Summer 2024, this system was used to train over 60 high-school students in a workshop hosted by UC and Intel. Learn more about the program here.

Goals

  • Provide hands-on semiconductor process training in a safe, cost-effective virtual environment.
  • Bridge the gap between coursework and practical clean-room operations, enabling learners to transition confidently into real fabrication workflows.
  • Improve understanding of core procedures—photolithography, etching, annealing, deposition, and measurement—via interactive virtual tools and simulations.
  • Facilitate repeatable practice and performance tracking using embedded tutorials, videos, and AI-guided feedback widgets.
  • Support the broader semiconductor workforce initiative at UC and align with credentialing pathways for microchip manufacturing skills.

    • Learning Objectives

  • Operate virtual reality hardware and navigate a simulated clean-room environment to interact with fabrication tools.
  • Execute full experiment workflows for:
    • Photolithography (Mask Aligner): adopt dehydration bake, resist coat, exposure, development workflows.
    • Reactive Ion Etching (RIE): configure plasma equipment, load/unload wafers, observe etching results.
    • Rapid Thermal Annealing (RTA): control temperature/time cycles, monitor post-process wafer conditions.
    • Thin-Film Deposition (E-Beam Evaporation): simulate vacuum readiness, beam configuration, deposition runtime.
    • Sheet Resistivity Measurement: operate a four-point probe, capture voltage/current data, compute resistivity values.
  • Identify safety protocols, system interlocks, and shutdown sequences across all process modules.
  • Translate VR-trained skills to real clean-room readiness, lowering onboarding time and improving trainee confidence.

    • Modules in This VR Experience

    Photolithography · Mask Aligner

    Photolithography with EVG® 620 Mask Aligner

    Walks learners through the full lithography workflow: dehydration bake, adhesion promotion, photoresist coating, soft bake, exposure and development.

    • Operate oven, spin coater, hot plates and EVG 620 mask aligner.
    • Practice mask loading, UV exposure and DI water rinsing.
    • Connect each step to its role in chip fabrication.

    Plasma · Reactive Ion Etching

    Reactive Ion Etching (RIE) Module

    Simulates the MARCH CS-1701 system for plasma-based pattern transfer into thin films.

    • Turn on chiller, RF generator and RIE chamber safely.
    • Configure gas lines and recipe parameters using VR widgets.
    • Load/unload wafers and observe etch completion feedback.

    Thermal · Rapid Thermal Annealing

    Rapid Thermal Annealing (Heatpulse 410)

    Models the Heatpulse 410 Rapid Thermal Processor for dopant activation and thin-film treatment.

    • Follow cooling water and nitrogen purging steps.
    • Set temperature/time profiles via interactive controls.
    • Monitor wafer loading, processing and completion.

    Metrology · Deposition

    Sheet Resistivity & E-Beam Evaporation

    Two complementary modules: one for four-point probe resistivity measurements, and one for thin-film deposition using e-beam evaporation.

    • Operate current source and DMM to log voltage and compute resistivity.
    • Simulate vacuum pump-down, deposition and venting steps for an e-beam tool.
    • Connect measured electrical properties back to process settings.

    Screenshots & Environment

    A few snapshots from the different modules inside the semiconductor VR clean-room.

    Various Virtual Equipment used in Semiconductor Chip Manufacturing Training
    Poster Presentation at North American Manufacturing Research Conference 2024

    Demo Videos

    Short walkthroughs of the semiconductor chip manufacturing VR module, including an overview of the cleanroom environment and individual process interactions.