Efficient non-local modeling of the electron energy distribution in sub-micron MOSFETs

An efficient post-processor for partial differential equation device simulators has been developed which is able to model the MOSFET electron energy distribution that plays a crucial role in a number of important physical phenomena. Comparisons with the results of a self-consistent Monte Carlo (MC) Poisson simulator show that in most cases of practical interest the proposed algorithm, not affected by the statistical noise inherent in the MC, allows one to accurately calculate the electron energy distribution even in the presence of significant nonlocal effects. The examples considered indicate that the proposed iterative technique can be successfully applied to the solution of DD (drift-diffusion) simulations for devices with channel lengths in excess of approximately=0.5 mu m, while shorter ones require more sophisticated starting models to calculate the electric field distribution.<>