Fokker–Planck transport simulation tool for semiconductor devices

Abstract

The paper investigates a new method for simulating carrier transport in semiconductor devices where the field may be high and strongly inhomogeneous. The simulator is based upon a deterministic equation of the Fokker–Planck type reproducing the predictions of a Monte Carlo simulation using the same material model. The equation deals with the spectral carrier density which consists of the carrier density and the local energy distribution. As input data the equation uses the energy-band diagram and functions of energy describing the carrier–lattice interaction in the relevant energy range. The numerical solution is found in detail in the case of a metal–insulator–metal structure used in electroluminescence devices. The proposed algorithm uses a finite-volume scheme which yields a code much faster than a Monte Carlo simulator, and without statistical noise.