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.

This volume contains the Proceedings of the International Conference on Simulation of Semiconductor Devices and Processes, SISPAD 01, held on September 5–7, 2001, in Athens. The conference provided an open forum for the presentation of the latest results and trends in process and device simulation. The trend towards shrinking device dimensions and increasing complexity in process technology demands the continuous development of advanced models describing basic physical phenomena involved. New simulation tools are developed to complete the hierarchy in the Technology Computer Aided Design simulation chain between microscopic and macroscopic approaches. The conference program featured 8 invited papers, 60 papers for oral presentation and 34 papers for poster presentation, selected from a total of 165 abstracts from 30 countries around the world. These papers disclose new and interesting concepts for simulating processes and devices.

The book covers all aspects from the expansion of the Boltzmann transport equation with harmonic functions to application to devices, where transport in the bulk and in inversion layers is considered. The important aspects of stabilization and band structure mapping are discussed in detail. This is done not only for the full band structure of the 3D k-space, but also for the warped band structure of the quasi 2D hole gas. Efficient methods for building the Schrödinger equation for arbitrary surface or strain directions, gridding of the 2D k-space and solving it together with the other two equations are presented.

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.

Linear current-voltage pattern, has been and continues to be the basis for characterizing, evaluating performance, and designing integrated circuits, but is shown not to hold its supremacy as channel lengths are being scaled down. In a nanoscale circuit with reduced dimensionality in one or more of the three Cartesian directions, quantum effects transform the carrier statistics. In the high electric field, the collision free ballistic transform is predicted, while in low electric field the transport remains predominantly scattering-limited. In a micro/nano-circuit, even a low logic voltage of 1 V is above the critical voltage triggering nonohmic behavior that results in ballistic current saturation. A quantum emission may lower this ballistic velocity.