Advanced Physical Models for Silicon Device Simulation

Device simulation has two main purposes: to understand and depict the physical processes in the interior of a device, and to make reliable predictions of the behavior of an anticipated new device generation. Towards these goals the quality of the physical models is decisive. The introductory chapter of this book contains a critical review on models for silicon device simulators, which rely on moments of the Boltzmann equation. With reference to fundamental experimental and theoretical work an extensive collection of widely used models is discussed in terms of physical accuracy and application results. This review shows that the quality and efficiency of the phys­ ical models, which have been developed for the purpose of numerical simulation over the last three decades, is sufficient for many applications. Nevertheless, the basic understanding of the microscopic processes, as well as the uniqueness and accuracy of the models are still unsatisfactory. Hence, the following chapters of the book deal with the derivation of physics-based models from a microscopic level, also using new approaches of "taylored quantum-mechanics". Each model is compared with experimental data and applied to a number of simulation exam­ ples. The problems when starting from "first principles" and making the models suitable for a device simulator will also be demonstrated. We will show that demands for rapid computation and numerical robustness require a compromise between physical soundness and analytical simplicity, and that the attainable accuracy is limited by the complexity of the problems. The book contains an extensive review on physical models for silicon device simulators. Referencing fundamental experimental and theoretical work, the models are discussed in terms of physical accuracy and application results. The derivation of device models from "first principles" and the fundamental problems therein are then described in detail for the most important examples using some new approaches of "taylored quantum mechanics." Front Matter....Pages I-XVIII Simulation of Silicon Devices: An Overview....Pages 1-126 Mobility Model for Hydrodynamic Transport Equations....Pages 127-169 Advanced Generation-Recombination Models....Pages 170-251 Metal-Semiconductor Contact....Pages 252-280 Modeling Transport Across Thin Dielectric Barriers....Pages 281-315 Summary and Outlook....Pages 316-319 Back Matter....Pages 320-354

From the reviews: ... this is a well produced book, written in a easy to read style, and will also be a very useful primer for someone starting out the field […], and a useful source of reference for experienced users ... Microelectronics Journal