Simulation of semiconductor devices is gaining importance in the development and optimization of new devices. The examples in this thesis demonstrate the broad field of application and the abilities of state-of-the-art generic device simulators. This comprises the investigation of new methods for doping characterization, the optimization of the performance of semiconductor devices, and the extraction of compact model parameters.
For the development of new devices it is very important that the device simulator imposes as few restrictions as possible on the simulated device geometry and material composition. Equally important is the ability to modify and enhance existing physical models and to be able to easily implement additional models. In MINIMOS-NT new models can be implemented by the user by combining existing models or by programming new models in the Model Description Language (MDL) without the need of modifying the simulator executable. This enables the device engineer to work with a familiar and proofed program and to adapt it to new problems.
When optimizing the performance of a device or extracting compact model parameters the ability to integrate a device simulator into an existing TCAD framework is very important. In MINIMOS-NT this is supported by the flexible Inputdeck Programming Language (IPL).
The development process of the generic device simulator MINIMOS-NT is still in progress. Important aspects of present and future work are the development of models and procedures for the simulation of ferro-electric material which are presently investigated for the use in future memory applications.
As the feature size is further reduced nonlocal effects gain influence on the device characteristic and a hydrodynamic model has to be used. To further improve the simulation accuracy for deep-sub-micron devices models for the nonparabolicity of the conduction band will be implemented instead of the presently used and easier to handle parabolic conduction band models.
The reduction of the feature size also increases the influence of the three-dimensional geometry nature of real devices. Therefore it is necessary to add the ability to handle three-dimensional simulation domains to be able to accurately simulate future devices. The complexity and the demand for computational resources of three-dimensional device simulations is much higher than for two-dimensional simulations. Therefore, an extension of MINIMOS-NT to a generic three-dimensional device simulator will be an important and challenging task.