Full-band Monte Carlo electron transport simulation

As a natural evolution of its activity on the physics-based simulation of compound semiconductor devices, dating back to 1985, the group has been engaged since 1995 in the development of more fundamental simulation tools, mainly in cooperation with computational electronic groups at Georgia Institute of Technology and Boston University. The group has developed analytic- and full-band Monte Carlo transport simulation codes, with the aim to investigate innovative wide gap semiconductors and to simulate and optimize nanoscale devices made with advanced semiconductors. The development of the full-band codes has been conducted together with the evaluation of electronic structure, phonon dispersion and deformation potentials of semiconductors, both with ab initio techniques and with accurate and efficient semiempirical methods. The ultimate goal of this research would be to achieve a hierarchy of fitting-parameters-free models, seamlessy leading from the semiconductor (or semiconductor alloy) structural properties to the evaluation/optimization of the device performance. The main applicative interest has been devoted to wide-gap III-N semiconductors (GaN and its alloys), IV-group elements and compounds (Si, Ge, GeSn, SiC) and II-VI materials (ZnO and its alloys, HgCdTe).

ERC Sector:

  • PE7_3 Simulation engineering and modelling
  • PE7_5 (Micro and nano) electronic, optoelectronic and photonic components
  • PE7_6 Communication technology, high-frequency technology

Keywords:

  • Monte Carlo methods
  • Semiconductor device modeling
  • Carrier transport simulation
  • empirical pseudopotential method

Research groups