To be perfect does not mean that there is nothing to add, but rather there is nothing to take away Antoine de Saint-Exupery The drift-diffusion approximation has served for more than two decades as the cornerstone for the numerical simulation of semiconductor devices. However, the tremendous speed in the development of the semiconductor industry demands numerical simulation tools that are efficient and provide reliable results. This makes the development of a simulation tool an interdisciplinary task in which physics, numerical algorithms, and device technology merge. For the sake of an efficient code there are trade-offs between the different influencing factors. The numerical performance of a program that is highly flexible in device types and the geometries it covers certainly cannot compare with a program that is optimized for one type of device only. Very often the device is sufficiently described by a two dimensional geometry. This is the case in a MOSFET, for example, if the gate length is small compared with the gate width. In these cases the geometry reduces to the specification of a two-dimensional device. Here again the simplest geometries, which are planar or at least rectangular surfaces, will give the most efficient numerical codes. The device engineer has to decide whether this reduced description of the real device is still suitable for his purposes.

Semiconductor devices are ubiquitous in the modern computer and telecommunications industry. A precise knowledge of the transport equations for electron flow in semiconductors when a voltage is applied is therefore of paramount importance for further technological breakthroughs. In the present work, the author tackles their derivation in a systematic and rigorous way, depending on certain key parameters such as the number of free electrons in the device, the mean free path of the carriers, the device dimensions and the ambient temperature. Accordingly a hierarchy of models is examined which is reflected in the structure of the book: first the microscopic and macroscopic semi-classical approaches followed by their quantum-mechanical counterparts.

This monograph is the first on physics-based simulations of novel strained Si and SiGe devices. It provides an in-depth description of the full-band monte-carlo method for SiGe and discusses the common theoretical background of the drift-diffusion, hydrodynamic and Monte-Carlo models and their synergy.

The topic of this monograph is the physical modeling of heterostructure devices. A detailed discussion of physical models and parameters for compound semiconductors is presented including the relevant aspects of modern submicron heterostructure devices. More than 25 simulation examples for different types of Si(Ge)-based, GaAs-based, InP-based, and GaN-based heterostructure bipolar transistors (HBTs) and high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) are given in comparison with experimental data from state-of-the-art devices.

This book presents a hierarchy of macroscopic models for semiconductor devices, studying three classes of models in detail: isentropic drift-diffusion equations, energy-transport models, and quantum hydrodynamic equations. The derivation of each, including physical discussions, is shown. Numerical simulations for modern semiconductor devices are performed, showing the particular features of each. The author develops modern analytical techniques, such as positive solution methods, local energy methods for free-boundary problems and entropy methods.

Starting with the simplest semiclassical approaches and ending with the description of complex fully quantum-mechanical methods for quantum transport analysis of state-of-the-art devices, Computational Electronics: Semiclassical and Quantum Device Modeling and Simulation provides a comprehensive overview of the essential techniques and methods for effectively analyzing transport in semiconductor devices. With the transistor reaching its limits and new device designs and paradigms of operation being explored, this timely resource delivers the simulation methods needed to properly model state-of-the-art nanoscale devices. The first part examines semiclassical transport methods, including drift-diffusion, hydrodynamic, and Monte Carlo methods for solving the Boltzmann transport equation. Details regarding numerical implementation and sample codes are provided as templates for sophisticated simulation software. The second part introduces the density gradient method, quantum hydrodynamics, and the concept of effective potentials used to account for quantum-mechanical space quantization effects in particle-based simulators. Highlighting the need for quantum transport approaches, it describes various quantum effects that appear in current and future devices being mass-produced or fabricated as a proof of concept. In this context, it introduces the concept of effective potential used to approximately include quantum-mechanical space-quantization effects within the semiclassical particle-based device simulation scheme. Addressing the practical aspects of computational electronics, this authoritative resource concludes by addressing some of the open questions related to quantum transport not covered in most books. Complete with self-study problems and numerous examples throughout, this book supplies readers with the practical understanding required to create their own simulators.

1 Introduction.- 2 Charge Transport in the Volume.- 3 General Electronic Model of the Interface.- 4 Charge Transport Across the Interface.- 5 Semiconductor-Insulator Interface.- 6 Metal-Semiconductor Contact.- 7 Semiconductor Heterojunction.- 8 MOSFET Gate.- 9 Discretization.- Appendices.- A Transformation of k-Vectors.- B Conservation of Transverse Momentum.- D Approximation of Surface Mobility.- Bibliography 209 Index.

Physics and Modeling of Tera- and Nano-Devices is a compilation of papers by well-respected researchers working in the field of physics and modeling of novel electronic and optoelectronic devices. The topics covered include devices based on carbon nanotubes, generation and detection of terahertz radiation in semiconductor structures including terahertz plasma oscillations and instabilities, terahertz photomixing in semiconductor heterostructures, spin and microwave-induced phenomena in low-dimensional systems, and various computational aspects of device modeling. Researchers as well as graduate and postgraduate students working in this field will benefit from reading this book. Sample Chapter(s). Semiconductor Device Scaling: Physics, Transport, and the Role of Nanowires (784 KB). Contents: Semiconductor Device Scaling: Physics, Transport, and the Role of Nanowires (D K Ferry et al.); Polaronic Effects at the Field Effect Junctions for Unconventional Semiconductors (N Kirova); Cellular Monte Carlo Simulation of High Field Transport in Semiconductor Devices (S M Goodnick & M Saraniti); Nanoelectronic Device Simulation Based on the Wigner Function Formalism (H Kosina); Quantum Simulations of Dual Gate MOSFET Devices: Building and Deploying Community Nanotechnology Software Tools on nanoHUB.org (S Ahmed et al.); Positive Magneto-Resistance in a Point Contact: Possible Manifestation of Interactions (V T Renard et al.); Impact of Intrinsic Parameter Fluctuations in Nano-CMOS Devices on Circuits and Systems (S Roy et al.); HEMT-Based Nanometer Devices Toward Terahertz Era (E Sano & T Otsuji); Plasma Waves in Two-Dimensional Electron Systems and Their Applications (V Ryzhii et al.); Resonant Terahertz Detection Antenna Utilizing Plasma Oscillations in Lateral Schottky Diode (A Satou et al.); Terahertz Polarization Controller Based on Electronic Dispersion Control of 2D Plasmons (T Nishimura & T Otsuji); Higher-Order Plasmon Resonances in GaN-Based Field-Effect Transistor Arrays (V V Popov et al.); Ultra-Highly Sensitive Terahertz Detection Using Carbon-Nanotube Quantum Dots (Y Kawano et al.); Generation of Ultrashort Electron Bunches in Nanostructures by Femtosecond Laser Pulses (A Gladun et al.); Characterization of Voltage-Controlled Oscillator Using RTD Transmission Line (K Narahara et al.); Infrared Quantum-Dot Detectors with Diffusion-Limited Capture (N Vagidov et al.); Magnetoresistance in Fe/MgO/Fe Magentic Tunnel Junctions (N N Beleskii et al.); Modeling and Implementation of Spin-Based Quantum Computation (M E Hawley et al.); Quantum Engineering for Threat Reduction and Homeland Security (G P Berman et al.); Strong Phase Shift Mask Manufacturing Error Impact on the 65nm Poly Line Printability (N Belova). Readership: Academics, graduate and postgraduate students in the field of physics and modeling of novel electronics and optoelectronic devices.

This modern book-length treatment gives a detailed presentation of high-frequency bipolar transistors in silicon or silicon-germanium technology, with particular emphasis placed on today's advanced compact models and their physical foundations.

Semiconductor quantum optics is on the verge of moving from the lab to real world applications. When stepping from basic research to new technologies, device engineers will need new simulation tools for the design and optimization of quantum light sources, which combine classical device physics with cavity quantum electrodynamics. This thesis aims to provide a holistic description of single-photon emitting diodes by bridging the gap between microscopic and macroscopic modeling approaches. The central result is a novel hybrid quantum-classical model system that self-consistently couples semi-classical carrier transport theory with open quantum many-body systems. This allows for a comprehensive description of quantum light emitting diodes on multiple scales: It enables the calculation of the quantum optical figures of merit together with the simulation of the spatially resolved current flow in complex, multi-dimensional semiconductor device geometries out of one box. The hybrid system is shown to be consistent with fundamental laws of (non-)equilibrium thermodynamics and is demonstrated by numerical simulations of realistic devices.