As the feature size of semiconductor devices shrinks into the sub-micrometer and nanometer-scale regime, physical phenomena at small dimensions begin to affect device performance. In addition, extreme electrical disturbances, like electrostatic discharge (ESD), will also cause electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) issues. The circuit-level simulation can predict current and voltage levels during an ESD event, but it is hard to know what happens inside the device. Therefore, accurate physical device simulation at the microscopic level instead of the macroscopic level is critical to the design and optimization of semiconductor devices.
The Monte Carlo method provides a direct solution to the Boltzmann Transport Equation (BTE). It can be used to investigate the transport of charge carriers under various working conditions. The objectives of this study are: 1) develop a Monte Carlo particle simulator to address ESD threat assessments based on semiconductor device physics; 2) study the behaviour of devices near breakdown using the Monte Carlo simulation together with the thermal solver; 3) combine the Monte Carlo solver with the circuit simulation to study the behaviour of semiconductor devices under transient attacks.