Mobility modeling in presence of quantum effects

Abstract

CMOS oxide thicknesses in the nanometer range lead to the development of TCAD models which take care of the quantum mechanical effects at the semiconductor/insulator interface. It is obvious that the quantum distribution of carriers will not fit to existing mobility models which were empirically developed employing a classical profile. Especially the terms which account for surface scattering need modifications. By utilizing an optimization framework and comparison with measurements stemming from overall 30 devices from two different technology nodes, this subject was rigorously investigated. Finally, a model was developed, where only one material parameter (instead of three) is needed to describe the semiconductor/oxide interface.