Departments' graduate courses

Aim
The course aims for a deep theoretical background, as well as a broad knowledge about the benefits and different applications for numerical simulation of semiconductor devices. By implementing your own simulating code in Matlab, you will learn the fundamental structures (physical models and numerical techniques) for macroscopic (drift-diffusion) as well as microscopic (Monte Carlo) simulation of semiconductor devices and materials.
Learning outcome (after completion of this course, the student should be able to)
•    Understand the strengths and limitations of numerical simulations.
•    Implement a one-dimensional drift-diffusion simulator to obtain the potential and carrier distributions in a pn-diode.
•    Implement a one-particle Monte Carlo simulator to obtain the velocity and energy distributions vs. external electric field in III-V compound semiconductor materials.

Organisation
The course consists of eight lectures that will be given once a week. Three home assignments will be distributed.

Content
1.    Introduction, Computer experiments, Calibration
2.    Methods to solve the Boltzmann’s transport equation
3.    Drift-Diffusion: Boundary conditions and Heterostructures
4.    Drift-Diffusion: Numerical methods
5.    Introduction to Monte Carlo simulations
6.    Monte Carlo simulations of semiconductor materials
7.    Monte Carlo simulations of semiconductor devices
8.    Further analyses (AC, transient, noise) and other tools
9.    Summary

Examination
Approved home assignments.

Recommended prerequisite
Basic course in semiconductor theory