Abstract
Physical simulation of semiconductor devices at high frequencies involves not only semiconductor transport issues but also electromagnetic wave propagation issues. In order to obtain the nonlinear and the large-signal characteristics of the semiconductor devices, an electromagnetic model should replace the traditional quasi-static model in the device simulator. In this paper, the advantages of a semiconductor device simulator combining an electromagnetic and an electron transport models are presented. This study is based on a semiconductor device simulator that couples a semiconductor model to the 3D time-domain solution of Maxwell's equations. The electromagnetic wave propagation effects on the millimeter-wave FETs are thoroughly analyzed. The use of the electromagnetic model over the conventional quasi-static model provides the actual device response at high frequencies. It also shows the nonlinear energy build-up along the device width whereas the quasi-static model provides a linear increase of energy. The combined model is capable of predicting the device nonlinearity and harmonic distortion of amplifier circuits at large signal.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 495-500 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | VLSI Design |
Volume | 8 |
Issue number | 1-4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1998 |
Keywords
- Device simulation
- FDTD
- Full-wave simulators
- Hydrodynamic models
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Hardware and Architecture
- Computer Graphics and Computer-Aided Design
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering