4 Description of the Simulator MINIMOS-NT
 
Heterostructure devices, in particular HEMTs, consist of different expitaxial layers with almost abrupt interfaces. To account for this fact in the simulation the device is split into different geometric regions called segments. In each segment different physical parameters and models to describe the carrier transport in a volume can be used. As the gate lengths of most HEMTs of interest are becoming well below a quarter micron nonlocal behavior of the electron transport in the channel is getting extremely important. Several attempts have been made to develop hydrodynamic (HD) transport models suitable for device simulation [40, 41, 42, 43]. However, the calculations are very computational power consuming since one more set of unknowns for each carrier type has to be solved compared to the drift diffusion (DD) model. Additionally, convergence usually is slower. Both effects can be minimized if the hydrodynamic transport model is only applied to some semiconductor segments and DD to all others.

The discontinuous behavior of physical quantities at an interface between two different segments can be treated by interface models. This approach offers the possibility to include effects such as tunneling of electrons through energy barriers. Thus a thermionic field emission model for a heterojunction interface can be used [5].

In the following sections of this chapter the most important volume and interface models of the simulator are described.
 

• 4.1 Volume Models
• 4.2 Interface Models
• 4.2.1 Semiconductor Hetero Interfaces
• 4.2.2 Semiconductor Passivation Interface
• 4.3 Physical Parameters
• 4.3.1 Effective Mass and Band Edge Energy
• 4.3.2 Mobility

   
Next: 4.1 Volume Models Up: Dissertation Helmut Brech Previous: 3.3 Determination of Capacitances by Quasi Static Approximation