Monte Carlo simulation of submicron MESFETs

Abstract

A series of Monte Carlo results for GaAs MESFETs with sub-micron gate length are presented. The study is based on a self consistent simulation that couples the Monte Carlo procedure for charge transport in GaAs to a Poisson solver defined on a two di­mensional grid. Channel electrons can reach velocities that largely exceed the saturation velocity (velocity overshoot). Such effect (enhanced by the reduction of gate length) guarantees very fast transit times in submicron structures. A comparison with the results obtained using a Drift-Diffusion algorithm are presented, which show the inadeguacy of tradition simulators in dealing with submicron structures.