The Effective Conduction Band Edge Method of Quantum Correction to the Monte Carlo Device Simulation

Abstract

To include quantum effects, a quantum correction is made to the semi-classical Monte Carlo (MC) simulation by the effective conduction band edge (ECBE) method. The quantum corrected potential energy can be calculated from the classical potential energy by the ECBE equation and thus the quantum mechanical force in the simulation replaces the classical force. Under the non-equilibrium condition, carriers have a temperature different from the lattice. For the simulation of a double-gate MOSFET, we replace thermal energy in the ECBE equation with the average value of the stress tensor along each transverse line, to account for the variation of the electron “temperature” along the longitudinal direction. A 3 nm thick double gate nMOSFET is simulated. The result shows that electrons now see a higher barrier from the source to the drain if the carrier temperature is considered, resulting in a smaller drain current compared to that obtained from the previous ECBE method.