Abstract
The authors have developed a quantum corrected drift-diffusion model for impact avalanche transit time (IMPATT) devices by coupling the density gradient model with the classical drift-diffusion model. A large-signal simulation technique has been developed by incorporating the quantum potentials in the current density equations for the analysis of double-drift region IMPATT devices based on different semiconductors such as Wurtzite–GaN, InP, type-IIb diamond (C), 4H–SiC and Si deigned to operate at different millimeter-wave (mm-wave) and terahertz (THz) frequencies. It is observed that, the RF power output and DC to RF conversion efficiency of the devices operating at higher mm-wave (\(>\)140 GHz) and THz frequencies reduce due to the incorporation of quantum corrections in the model; but the effect of quantum corrections are negligible for the devices operating at lower mm-wave frequencies (\(\le \)140 GHz).
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Eisele, H., Chen, C.C., Munns, G.O., Haddad, G.I.: The potential of InP IMPATT diodes as high-power millimeter-wave sources: First experimental results. IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium Digest, pp. 529–532 (1996)
Mukherjee, M., Majumder, N.: Optically Illuminated 4H–SiC terahertz IMPATT device. Egypt J. Solids 30(1), 87–101 (2007)
Mukherjee, M., Majumder, N., Roy, S.K.: Prospects of 4H–SiC double drift region IMPATT device as a photo-sensitive high power source at 0.7 terahertz frequency regime. Active Passiv. Electron. Compon. 2008, 1–9 (2008)
Mukherjee, M., Roy, S.K.: Optically modulated III–V nitride-based top-mounted and flip-chip IMPATT oscillators at terahertz regime: studies on the shift of avalanche transit time phase delay due to photogenerated carriers. IEEE Trans. Electron Devices 56(7), 1411–1417 (2009)
Trew, R.J., Yan, J.B., Mock, P.M.: The potentiality of diamond and SiC electronic devices for microwave and millimeter-wave power applications. Proc. IEEE 79(5), 598–620 (1991)
Acharyya, A., Banerjee, J.P.: Prospects of IMPATT devices based on wide bandgap semiconductors as potential terahertz sources. Appl. Nanosci. 4, 1–14 (2014)
Evans, W.J., Haddad, G.I.: A large-signal analysis of IMPATT diodes. IEEE Trans. Electron Devices 15(10), 708–717 (1968)
Scharfetter, D.L., Gummel, H.K.: Large-signal analysis of a silicon read diode oscillator. IEEE Trans. Electron Devices 6(1), 64–77 (1969)
Gupta, M.S., Lomax, R.J.: A current-excited large-signal analysis of IMPATT devices and its circuit implementations. IEEE Trans. Electron Devices 20, 395–399 (1973)
Jüngel, A., Tang, S.: A relaxation scheme for the hydrodynamic equations for semiconductors. Appl. Numer. Math. 43, 229–252 (2002)
Aluru, N.R., Raefsky, A., Pinsky, P.M., Law, K.H., Goossens, R.J.G., Dutton, R.W.: A finite element formulation for the hydrodynamic semiconductor device equations. Comput. Methods Appl. Mech. Eng. 107, 269–298 (1993)
Sadi, T., Thobel, J.L.: Analysis of the high-frequency performance of InGaAs/InAlAs nanojunctions using a 3D Monte Carlo simulator. J. Appl. Phys. 106, 083709 (2009)
Sadi, T., Kivisaari, P., Oksanen, J., Tulkki, J.: On the correlation of the Auger generated hot electron emission and efficiency droop in III-N LEDs. Appl. Phys. Lett. 105, 091106-1-5 (2014)
Iniguez-de-la-Torre, I., et al.: Influence of the surface charge on the operation of ballistic T-branch junctions: a self-consistent model for Monte Carlo simulations. Semicond. Sci. Technol 22, 663–670 (2007)
MacPherson, R.F., Dunn, G.M., Pilgrim, N.J.: Simulation of gallium nitride Gunn diodes at various doping levels and temperatures for frequencies up to 300 GHz by Monte Carlo simulation, and incorporating the effects of thermal heating. Semicond. Sci. Technol. 23, 055005 (2008)
Vasileska, D., Mamaluy, D., Khan, H.R., Raleva, K., Goodnick, S.M.: Semiconductor device modeling. J. Comput. Theor. Nanosci. 5, 999–1030 (2008)
Acharyya, A., Banerjee, S., Banerjee, J.P.: Influence of skin effect on the series resistance of millimeter-wave of IMPATT devices. J. Comput. Electron. 12(3), 511–525 (2013)
Acharyya, A., Chakraborty, J., Das, K., Datta, S., De, P., Banerjee, S., Banerjee, J.P.: Large-signal characterization of DDR silicon IMPATTs operating in millimeter-wave and terahertz regime. J. Semicond. 34(10), 104003-1-8 (2013)
Acharyya, A., Datta, K., Ghosh, R., Sarkar, M., Sanyal, R., Banerjee, S., Banerjee, J.P.: Diamond based DDR IMPATTs: prospects and potentiality as millimeter-wave source at 94 GHz atmospheric window. Radioengineering 22(2), 624–631 (2013)
Acharyya, A., Banerjee, S., Banerjee, J.P.: A proposed simulation technique to study the series resistance and related millimeter-wave properties of Ka-band Si IMPATTs from the electric field snap-shots. Int. J. Microw. Wirel. Technol. 5(1), 91–100 (2013)
Acharyya, A., Mallik, A., Banerjee, D., Ganguli, S., Das, A., Dasgupta, S., Banerjee, J.P.: IMPATT devices based on group III–V compound semiconductors: prospects as potential terahertz radiators. HKIE Trans. 21(3), 135–147 (2014)
Acharyya, A., Chakraborty, J., Das, K., Datta, S., De, P., Banerjee, S., Banerjee, J.P.: Large-signal characterization of DDR silicon IMPATTs operating up to 0.5 THz. Int. J. Microw. Wirel. Technol. 5(5), 567–578 (2013)
Acharyya, A., Banerjee, S., Banerjee, J.P.: Large-signal simulation of 94 GHz pulsed DDR silicon IMPATTs including the temperature transient effect. Radioengineering 21(4), 1218–1225 (2012)
Acharyya, A., Banerjee, S., Banerjee, J.P.: Effect of junction temperature on the large-signal properties of a 94 GHz silicon based double-drift region impact avalanche transit time device. J. Semicond. 34(2), 024001-1-12 (2013)
Acharyya, A., Chatterjee, S., Goswami, J., Banerjee, S., Banerjee, J.P.: Quantum drift-diffusion model for IMPATT devices. J. Comput. Electron. 13, 739–752 (2014)
Ancona, M.G., Tiersten, H.F.: Macroscopic physics of the silicon inversion layer. Phys. Rev. B 35, 7959–7965 (1987)
Ancona, M.G., Yu, Z., Dutton, R.W., Voorde, P.J.V., Cao, M., Vook, D.: Density-gradient analysis of MOS tunneling. IEEE Trans. Electron Devices 47(12), 2310–2319 (2000)
Ancona, M.G.: Density-gradient theory: a macroscopic approach to quantum confinement and tunneling in semiconductor devices. J. Comput. Electron. 10, 65–97 (2011)
Falco, C.D., Gatti, E., Lacaita, A.L., Sacco, R.: Quantum-corrected drift-diffusion models for transport in semiconductor devices. J. Comput. Phys. 204(2), 533–561 (2005)
Electronic Archive: New semiconductor materials, characteristics and properties. http://www.ioffe.ru/SVA/NSM/Semicond (2014). Accessed 12 Sept. 2014
Shiyu, S.C., Wang, G.: High-field properties of carrier transport in bulk wurtzite GaN: Monte Carlo perspective. J. Appl. Phys. 103, 703–708 (2008)
Kramer, B., Micrea, A.: Determination of saturated electron velocity in GaAs’. Appl. Phys. Lett. 26, 623–624 (1975)
Ferry, D.K.: High-field transport in wide-bandgap semiconductors. Phys. Rev. B 12, 2361–2369 (1975)
Canali, C., Gatti, E., Kozlov, S.F., Manfredi, P.F., Manfredotti, C., Nava, F., Quirini, A.: Electrical properties and performances of neutral diamond nuclear radiation detectors. Nucl. Instrum. Methods 160, 73–77 (1979)
Vassilevski, K.V., Zekentes, K., Zorenko, A.V., Romanov, L.P.: Experimental determination of electron drift velocity in 4H–SiC \(\text{ p }^{+}-\text{ n }-\text{ n }^{+}\) avalanche diodes. IEEE Electron Device Lett. 21, 485–487 (2000)
Canali, C., Ottaviani, G., Quaranta, A.A.: Drift velocity of electrons and holes and associated anisotropic effects in silicon. J. Phys. Chem. Solids 32(8), 1707–1720 (1971)
Sze, S.M., Ryder, R.M.: Microwave avalanche diodes. Proc. IEEE Special Issue Microw. Semicond. Devices 59, 1140–1154 (1971)
Acharyya, A., Banerjee, J.P.: Potentiality of IMPATT devices as terahertz source: an avalanche response time based approach to determine the upper cut-off frequency limits. IETE J. Res. 59(2), 118–127 (2013)
Acharyya, A., Banerjee, S., Banerjee, J.P.: Potentiality of semiconducting diamond as base material of millimeter-wave and terahertz IMPATT devices. J. Semicond. 35(3), 034005-1-11 (2014)
Acharyya, A., Mukherjee, M., Banerjee, J. P.: Effects of tunnelling current on mm-wave IMPATT devices. Int. J. Electron. 1–28 (2014). doi:10.1080/00207217.2014.982211
Kunihiro, K., Kasahara, K., Takahashi, Y., Ohno, Y.: Experimental evaluation of impact ionization coefficients in GaN. IEEE Electron Device Lett. 20, 608–610 (1999)
Umebu, I., Chowdhury, A.N.M.M., Robson, P.N.: Ionization coefficients measured in abrupt InP junction. Appl. Phys. Lett. 36, 302–303 (1980)
Konorova, E.A., Kuznetsov, Y.A., Sergienko, V.A., Tkachenko, S.D., Tsikunov, A.K., Spitsyn, A.V., Danyushevski, Y.Z.: Impact ionization in semiconductor structures made of ion-implanted diamond. Sov. Phys. - Semicond. 17, 146–149 (1983)
Konstantinov, A.O., Wahab, Q., Nordell, N., Lindefelt, U.: Ionization rates and critical fields in 4H–Silicon Carbide. Appl. Phys. Lett. 71, 90–92 (1997)
Grant, W.N.: Electron and hole ionization rates in epitaxial Silicon. Solid State Electron 16(10), 1189–1203 (1973)
Elta, M.E.: The effect of mixed tunneling and avalanche breakdown on microwave transit time diodes (PhD Dissertation). Electron Physics Laboratory, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, Technical Report (1978)
Kane, E.O.: Theory of tunneling. J. Appl. Phys. 32, 83–91 (1961)
Ancona, M.G.: Macroscopic description of quantum-mechanical tunneling. Phys. Rev. B 42, 1222–1223 (1990)
Ancona, M.G.: Density-gradient analysis of field emission from metals. Phys. Rev. B 46, 4874–4883 (1992)
Luy, J.F., Casel, A., Behr, W., Kasper, E.: A 90-GHz double-drift IMPATT diode made with Si MBE. IEEE Trans. Electron Devices 34(5), 1084–1089 (1987)
Wollitzer, M., Buchler, J., Schafflr, F., Luy, J.F.: D-band Si-IMPATT diodes with 300 mW CW output power at 140 GHz. Electron. Lett. 32, 122–123 (1996)
Acknowledgments
The senior most author, Professor (Dr.) J. P. Banerjee (same as J. P. Bandyopadhyay) is grateful to the University Grants Commission, India for supporting the research through the award of an Emeritus Fellowship in the Institute of Radio Physics and Electronics, University of Calcutta.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Acharyya, A., Goswami, J., Banerjee, S. et al. Quantum corrected drift-diffusion model for terahertz IMPATTs based on different semiconductors. J Comput Electron 14, 309–320 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10825-014-0658-9
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10825-014-0658-9