Title :
A smoothed boundary condition for reducing nonphysical field effects
Author :
Smith, Arlynn W. ; Parks, Joseph W. ; Haralson, Joe N., II ; Brennan, Kevin F.
Author_Institution :
Sch. of Electr. & Comput. Eng., Georgia Inst. of Technol., Atlanta, GA, USA
fDate :
4/1/1997 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
In this paper, we examine the problem associated with abruptly mixing boundary conditions in the context of a two dimensional semiconductor device simulator. Explicitly, this paper addresses the transition between an ohmic-type Dirichlet condition and a passivated Neumann boundary. In the traditional setting, the details of the transition between the two boundary types are not addressed and an abrupt transition is assumed. Subsequently, the calculated observables (most notably the potential) exhibit discontinuous derivatives near the surface at the point where the boundary type switches. This paper proposes an alternative condition which models the progression between the two boundary types through the use of a finite length, smoothed boundary whereby the numerical discontinuities are eliminated. The physical and mathematical basis for this smoothed boundary condition is discussed and examples of the technique´s implementation given. It is found that the proposed boundary condition is numerically efficient and can be implemented in pre-existing device simulators with relative ease
Keywords :
numerical analysis; semiconductor device models; smoothing methods; abrupt transition; electric potential; nonphysical field effects; numerical discontinuity; ohmic-type Dirichlet condition; passivated Neumann boundary; smoothed boundary condition; two dimensional semiconductor device simulator; Boundary conditions; Context modeling; Laplace equations; Mathematical model; Mathematics; Photodetectors; Poisson equations; Semiconductor devices; Space technology; Switches;
Journal_Title :
Computer-Aided Design of Integrated Circuits and Systems, IEEE Transactions on