Monte Carlo simulations of double-gate MOSFETs

A fullband Monte Carlo simulator has been used to analyze the performance of scaled n-channel double-gate (DG) MOSFETs. Size quantization in the channel is accounted for by using a quantum correction based on Schrodinger equation. Scattering induced by the oxide interface is included with a model calibrated with measurements for bulk devices. The detailed self-consistent treatment of quantum effects leads to several interesting observations. We observe that the sheet charge in DG devices does not decrease as much as expected in bulk devices when quantum-mechanical effects are included. The average carrier velocity in the channel is also somewhat reduced by quantum effects, as a second-order effect. In the test cases studied here, application of quantum effects causes a reduction in simulated current not exceeding 15%. In a DG structure, quantum effects tend to concentrate the charge density in the center of the channel, where transverse fields are lower. Because of this, interface scattering appears to be less pronounced when quantum effects are included.     

Monte Carlo simulations of InGaAs nano-MOSFETs

The potential performance of sub-50 nm n-type implant free III-V MOSFETs with an In_0.75Ga_0.25As channel is studied using Monte Carlo (MC) device simulations. The simulated I_D-V_G characteristics of the In_0.75Ga_0.25As implant free MOSFETs are compared with equivalent In_0.3Ga_0.7As implant free MOSFETs and with a state-of-the-art silicon CMOS transistors. The study is based on careful calibration of the MC simulator against experimental data obtained from a δ-doped In_0.52Ga_0.48As/ In_0.53Ga_0.47As/In_0.75Ga_0.25As heterostructure with a high-κ gate dielectric. At 0.8 V supply voltage, the 30 nm gate length In_0.75Ga_0.25As implant free III-V MOSFET delivers a drive current of 1730 μA/μm as compared to the 1550 μA/μm obtained in the equivalent In_0.3Ga_0.7As implant free MOSFET. When this high indium channel transistor is scaled to 20 and 15 nm gate lengths the drive current at 0.8 V supply voltage increases to 2465 and 2745 μA/μm, respectively, making it a good candidate for high performance, low power digital applications at the 22 nm technology generation and beyond.     

Monte Carlo simulations of high-speed InSb-InAlSb FETs

Self consistent Monte Carlo simulations which include impact ionization are used to study the high-speed potential of InSb field-effect transistors. It is found that the impact ionization has a strong influence on the performance of InSb for high speed. The ionization leads to a high electron drift velocity and substrate bias can be used to extract the holes which are generated in the channel. Residual hole density within the channel, however, limits the maximum speed. The substrate bias and buffer doping are critical for extracting holes from the channel without inducing excess ionization. Simulations yield a peak cutoff frequency of 820 GHz with a 0.03125-/spl mu/m gate, a source to drain voltage of 0.58, and a sheet doping density of 1.7/spl times/10/sup 12/ cm/sup -2/.     

Monte Carlo simulations for tilted-channel electron multipliers

Microchannel electron multipliers with tilted structures are simulated using the Monte Carlo method. Gains of secondary electrons are calculated for different structures of the electron multiplier. For a short tilted cylindrical channel of the electron multiplier, a maximum gain is achieved greater than 10⁴ at a tilt angle near 25°. The maximum gain is about 10³ times larger than that of the nontilted channel. An explanation for the improvement of gain in tilted channel is suggested     

Monte Carlo simulations of charge transport in high-speed lasers

A self-consistent ensemble Monte Carlo calculation of carrier transport in multiple-quantum-well lasers has been developed in an effort to understand the impact of picosecond carrier dynamics upon the modulation bandwidth. The model has been applied to InGaAsP-based devices which are designed to emit at 1550 nm. Results are discussed for structures with ungraded confinement layers of varied width and different numbers of QWs. Simulations have been carried out at fixed and also modulated bias, from which the intrinsic frequency response can be derived     

Monte Carlo simulations of carrier transport in AlGaInP laserdiodes

A self-consistent ensemble Monte Carlo simulation of charge transport in AlGaInP quantum-well (QW) lasers has been developed in an effort to understand the temperature sensitivity of these devices. In particular, the lasing capability of a three-well design has been studied at 300 and 360 K. Although the electron and hole leakage currents are found to increase with the temperature, this does not explain a reduction in the emitted light hole emission time intensity for the particular device studied. Instead, the fall in the light output is due to increased emission from the QW's, since this reduces the net electron and hole capture efficiency     

Monte Carlo simulations of the bandwidth of InAlAs avalanche photodiodes

We present a Monte Carlo simulation of the bandwidth of an InAlAs avalanche photodiode with an undepleted absorber. The carrier velocities are simulated in the charge layer and the multiplication region. It is shown that the velocity overshoot effect is not as significant as simpler models have suggested. At high electric field intensity, the electron effective saturation velocity is only slightly higher when impact ionization is significant, compared with when impact ionization is absent. The simulated 3 dB bandwidth is consistent with experiments for gains up to 50.     

Quantifying spatial localization of optical mapping using Monte Carlo simulations

Optical mapping techniques used to study spatial distributions of cardiac activity can be divided into two categories. 1) Broad-field excitation method, in which hearts stained with voltage or calcium sensitive dyes are illuminated with broad-field excitation light and fluorescence is collected by image or photodiode arrays. 2) Laser scanning method, in which illumination uses a scanning laser and fluorescence is collected with a photomultiplier tube. The spatial localization of the fluorescence signal for these two methods is unknown and may depend upon light absorption and scattering at both excitation and emission wavelengths. We measured the absorption coefficients (micro a), scattering coefficients (micro s), and scattering anisotropy coefficients (g) at representative excitation and emission wavelengths in rabbit heart tissue stained with di-4-ANEPPS or co-stained with both Rh237 and Oregon Green 488 BAPTA 1. Monte Carlo models were then used to simulate absorption and scattering of excitation light and fluorescence emission light for both broad-field and laser methods in three-dimensional tissue. Contributions of local emissions throughout the tissue to fluorescence collected from the tissue surface were determined for both methods. Our results show that spatial localization depends on the light absorption and scattering in tissue and on the optical mapping method that is used. A tissue region larger than the laser beam or collecting area of the array element contributes to the optical recordings.     

Noise characterization of block-iterative reconstruction algorithms: II. Monte Carlo simulations

In Soares et al. (2000), the ensemble statistical properties of the rescaled block-iterative expectation-maximization (RBI-EM) reconstruction algorithm and rescaled block-iterative simultaneous multiplicative algebraic reconstruction technique (RBI-SMART) were derived. Included in this analysis were the special cases of RBI-EM, maximum-likelihood EM (ML-EM) and ordered-subset EM (OS-EM), and the special case of RBI-SMART, SMART. Explicit expressions were found for the ensemble mean, covariance matrix, and probability density function of RBI reconstructed images, as a function of iteration number. The theoretical formulations relied on one approximation, namely that the noise in the reconstructed image was small compared to the mean image. In this paper, we evaluate the predictions of the theory by using Monte Carlo methods to calculate the sample statistical properties of each algorithm and then compare the results with the theoretical formulations. In addition, the validity of the approximation will be justified.     

Assessment of femtosecond temporal gating for imaging in biological medium by Monte Carlo simulations

The authors demonstrate the potential of femtosecond laser pulsed illumination and picosecond detection in biomedical imaging via an efficient and simple Monte Carlo laser pulse diffusion simulation, based on realistic biological parameters. The evolution of the contrast of a sinusoidal grid in a diffuse medium as a function of the width of a temporal gate is shown.     

Revised stability analysis of the nonlinear Poisson scheme in self-consistent Monte Carlo device simulations

In this paper, the stability of self-consistent Monte Carlo (MC) device simulations is revised by developing a model that extends the existing ones by accounting for the effect of a carrier diffusion. Both the linear and the nonlinear Poisson schemes have been considered. The analysis of the linear Poisson scheme reveals that, consistently with the available model, the time step between two Poisson solutions must be short compared to a factor proportional to the scattering rate. On the other hand, it has been found that, contrary to the available stability models, the nonlinear Poisson scheme requires long time steps in order to provide stable simulations. For this reason, the nonlinear scheme is advantageous when considering steady-state simulations. The model predictions have been verified by comparison with MC simulations implementing both schemes.     

柱状腔向列相液晶指向矢结构的Monte Carlo模拟

液晶分子被限定在柱状腔内,基于Gruhn-Hess两体势,通过Monte Carlo模拟方法,研究了径向边界条件及温度对柱状腔内向列相液晶PAA的指向矢结构的影响。文中计算了系统平衡后的二阶序参数、轴向序参数、径向序参数、角向序参数和指向矢快照图。在自由表面条件下,液晶分子在与柱轴垂直的面内呈均匀一致排列,而径向锚定作用下,指向矢结构为平面极性结构;在径向锚定作用下,随着锚定强度的增加,液晶分子在与柱状腔轴垂直的面内径向排列有序度增加;温度的变化会改变液晶分子的有序度,但不改变其指向矢结构。     

Advantages of collocation methods over finite differences in one-dimensional Monte Carlo simulations of submicron devices

Collocation methods are very useful when one-dimensional Monte Carlo simulations of semiconductor submicron devices require a very accurate solution of Poisson's equation. Potential and electric field may be solved simultaneously with better accuracy than using finite differences. The extension to two dimensions is also outlined. We present the results obtained for Monte Carlo simulation of submicron W/Si and AuGaAs Schottky barrier diodes under forward bias conditions. The accurate solution for the electric field at the ohmic contact boundary allows us to model the injected current and to account for depletion of carriers. Tunnelling effects across the barrier are also included in the simulation.     

The effect of collisional broadening on Monte Carlo simulations of high-field transport in semiconductor devices

Some important consequences of the uncertainty principle on Monte Carlo simulations of very high field transport are discussed. It is shown that recent values of the phonon scattering rates reported for GaAs by Shichijo and Hess lead to an unrealistically high collisional broadening (0.3-0.6eV) of the electronic states, thus rendering questionable any attempt to relate transport properties to the band structure, and invalidating the semiclassical Boltzmann transport picture used in the Monte Carlo simulation. These considerations are important in the modeling of very high field transport properties in semiconductor devices.     

Spatial retardation of carrier heating in scaled 0.1-μmn-MOSFET's using Monte Carlo simulations

A comprehensive Monte Carlo simulator is employed to investigate nonlocal carrier transport in 0.1 μm n-MOSFET's under low-voltage stress. Specifically, the role of electron-electron (e-e) interactions on hot electron injection is explored for two emerging device designs biased at a drain voltage V_d considerably less than the Si/SiO₂ injection barrier height φ_b. Simulation of both devices reveal that 1) although qV_d<φ_b, carriers can obtain energies greater than φ_b, and 2) the peak for electron injection is displaced approximately 20 nm beyond the peak in the parallel channel electric field. These phenomena constitute a spatial retardation of carrier heating that is strongly influenced by e-e interactions near the drain edge. (Virtually no injection is observed in our simulations when e-e scattering is not considered.) Simulations also show that an aggressive design based on larger dopant atoms, steeper doping gradients, and a self-aligned junction counter-doping process produces a higher peak in the channel electric field, a hotter carrier energy distribution, and a greater total electron injection rate into the oxide when compared to a more conventionally-doped design. The impact of spatially retarded carrier heating on hot-electron-induced device degradation is further examined by coupling an interface state distribution obtained from Monte Carlo simulations with a drift-diffusion simulator. Because of retarded carrier heating, the interface states are mainly generated further over the drain region where interface charge produces minimal degradation. Thus, surprisingly, both 0.1 μm n-MOSFET designs exhibit comparable drain current degradation rates     

Monte Carlo simulations of large-scale one-dimensional randomrough-surface scattering at near-grazing incidence: Penetrable case

Scattering from dielectric one-dimensional (1-D) random rough surfaces at near grazing incidence is studied for both TE and TM cases. To obtain accurate results at incidence angles of 80°-85°, we use long surface lengths of up to 1000 wavelengths. Numerical results are illustrated for dielectric surfaces corresponding to soil surfaces with various moisture contents. Results indicate that TM backscattering is much larger than that of TE backscattering. The ratio of TM to TE backscattering increases as a function of soil moisture and can be used as an indicator of soil moisture in remote sensing applications. However, the ratio of TM to TE backscattering is much lower than that predicted by the small perturbation method. To facilitate computation of scattering by such long surfaces, the previously developed banded-matrix iteration approach/canonical grid method (BMIA/CG) has been extended to dielectric surfaces. The numerical algorithm consists of translating the nonnear-field interaction to a flat surface and the interaction subsequently calculated by fast Fourier transform (FFT)     

Analysis of delta-doped and uniformly doped AlGaAs/GaAs HEMT's byensemble Monte Carlo simulations

Transport properties and device performance of delta-doped and uniformly doped AlGaAs/GaAs high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) with identical threshold voltages and gate capacitors are investigated using two-dimensional self-consistent ensemble Monte Carlo simulations. The model includes the effects of real-space transfer and carrier degeneracy, as well as the influence of DX centers and surface states. A one-to-one comparison of simulation results for the two devices demonstrates superior performance for the delta-doped HEMT and provides a physical basis for the observed improvements. In particular, the delta-doped HEMT maintains its superior device performance as gate bias is increased. Reasons for these improvements are reported     

Weighted ensemble Monte Carlo

A new approach to the Monte Carlo method for the solution of electron transport problems in semiconductors is presented and applied to some special cases of interest. The method is based on an iterative expansion of the Boltzmann equation in Chambers form and yields a simulative algorithm where the scattering events are chosen with arbitrary probabilities. In this way it is possible to analyse in great details regions of real and/or momentum space that would rarely be visited in a standard simulation. Applications are shown to the problems of high energy tails, of the surmounting of a high energy barrier, and of the low-field contact region.     

Series-parallel reductions in Monte Carlo network-reliabilityevaluation

Monte Carlo simulation appears to be very useful in the evaluation of K-terminal-reliability of large communication systems because the exact algorithms are extremely time consuming. This paper shows that the well-known series-parallel reductions can be incorporated in the recursive variance reduction simulation method, leading to a more efficient estimator, as demonstrated by experimental results