Grid generation for three-dimensional process and device simulation

The growing importance of three-dimensional simulation has made mesh generation the key to accurate and fast solutions. Where in two dimensions many different and only moderately sophisticated methods are established and feasible, there is the need in three dimensions for far more efficient strategies. Not only the amount of data and the complexity of the simulated structures pose an increasing challenge, but also the visualization of the three-dimensional grid as an important feedback for the developer becomes more difficult. Meshing has been geared more and more towards automation. Especially, in Technology Computer-Aided Design (TCAD) where the input to the gridder can be the output from a topography simulator the degree of automation requires further discussion. The authors investigate the state of the art and give an overview of activities in that field.