Sentaurus Introduction & Step-by-Step Manual

Chen Shicshi3@gmu.edu

09/16/2015

Tool Flow in Synopsys TCAD

• Design the device

• Simulate the device• Temperature, Bias• Stimulus

• Analyse the simulation results• Bandgap• IV curve• Carrier distribution• ……

Projects

Tools

Variables

SPROCESS

SDE

SDEVICE

SVISUAL

Different color indicates different status of the node

Part 1: Preparation

• In VSE Lab 1506, Power-on the Linux virtual machine and log-in with your Mason Account

• (The virtual machine is on the desktop with icon name "VSLINUX“;

• Double click the icon and then press “powe-on the machine”.)

• Open the terminal and type two commands:• module add synopsys/SentaurusTCAD/H-2013.03-SP2

• To load the necessary modules to run the tool;• swb

• To launch Sentaurus TCAD;

Step 1. Launch Sentaurus TCAD in Linux

Step 2. Choose your project directory

It is better to create a new folder (like Windows system) and put your projects in the specific folder.

Step 3. Create New Project and Add tools

2. Right click and “add tools”

1. Project > New Project

3. Choose tools

4. Choose SDEand click OK

5. click OK

6. right click SDE and add another tool

7. Similarly, add another tool: SDEVICE

Note: you should make SDEVICE is after SDE here

Note: you can save your project at any time. When you create a new project and save it the first time, you will be required to name the project.

Part 2: SDE

Preparation

Two methods: Draw your device(Graphic interface) Using command to describe the device(Command interface)

• Preparation• Step 1: Draw the device(Shape &

Coordinates; Material)• Step 2: Doping• Step 3: Contacts• Step 4: Meshing• Step 5: Build Mesh

1. Right click SDE and choose Edit Input > Boundary file

materialSelection level

Command Window

Control the view angle

• Draw > make “exact coordinates” selected;• Prepare a txt file to record every command

when you finish each step

1. Draw a cuiboid• Make sure the material is chosen as “Silicon”• Draw> 3D create tools > create Cuboid

(click anywhere and hold the left button, drag it to another position, then release it; Then hit the left button one more time, you will get it)

• Fill the coordinates of the Cuiboid

to rotate the device with the mouse

To reset the view angle

Step 1. Draw the device

2. Draw another Cuiboid in the same way but different coordinates

Doping concentration

Doping species

Doping region

Step 2. Doping

1. Define P-type Doping• Click the “constant profile Placement” icon• Finish the table• Click “Add Placement” and close it

2. Define N-type Doping

Step 3. Contacts

1. Contact Sets:• Contact Menu > Contact Sets• Create “Anode” contact as the figure shows. After finishing the table, click “Set”.• Similarly Create “Cathode” contact.

2. Set Contacts:• Choose “Anode”, click Activate;• Choose “Select Face” in the select level;• Choose the face of the p-doped region

(make sure you select the “choose button” so that you can “choose”)(if necessary, try to rotate the device)

• Contacts Menu > Set contacts• Same way to Set the Cathode to the face of N-

type region

“choose button”

• Mesh Menu> MultiBox Placement• Finish the table• Click “Add Placement”

After you finish these coordinates, click “Define”

Step 4. Meshing

• Mesh Menu > Build Mesh

• Finish table(use the default one is okay)

• Click the “Build Mesh”

Step 5. Build Mesh

Using the command interface

Right click SDE and choose Edit Input > Commands

(sdegeo:create-cuboid (position 0 0 0) (position 0.5 0.5 0.5) "Silicon" "region_1")(sdegeo:create-cuboid (position 0 0 0.5) (position 0.5 0.5 1) "Silicon" "region_2")

(sdedr:define-constant-profile "ConstantProfileDefinition_1" "BoronActiveConcentration" 1e15) (sdedr:define-constant-profile-region "ConstantProfilePlacement_1" "ConstantProfileDefinition_1" "region_1")

(sdedr:define-constant-profile "ConstantProfileDefinition_2" "ArsenicActiveConcentration" 1e19) (sdedr:define-constant-profile-region "ConstantProfilePlacement_2" "ConstantProfileDefinition_2" "region_2")

(sdegeo:define-contact-set "Cathode" 4 (color:rgb 1 1 1 ) "##") (sdegeo:define-contact-set "Anode" 4 (color:rgb 1 0 0 ) "||") (sdegeo:set-current-contact-set "Cathode")(sdegeo:define-3d-contact (list (car (find-face-id (position 0.25 0.25 0)))) "Cathode") (render:rebuild) (sdegeo:set-current-contact-set "Anode") (sdegeo:define-3d-contact (list (car (find-face-id (position 0.25 0.25 1)))) "Anode")(render:rebuild)

(sdedr:define-refeval-window "RefEvalWin_1" "Cuboid" (position 0 0 0) (position 0.5 0.5 1) ) (sdedr:define-multibox-size "MultiboxDefinition_1" 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 0.05 1 1 1 ) (sdedr:define-multibox-placement "MultiboxPlacement_1" "MultiboxDefinition_1" "RefEvalWin_1" )

(sde:set-meshing-command "snmesh -a -c boxmethod") (sdedr:append-cmd-file "") (sde:build-mesh "snmesh" "-a -c boxmethod" "sdemodel")

(sde:build-mesh "snmesh" "-a -c boxmethod" "n@node@")

Note: Replace the last line with the new command

Create two cuiboid silicon region

Define the doping

Define the contacts

Define the mesh

Part 3: SDEVICE

File { Grid = "@tdr@" Plot = "@tdrdat@" Current = "@plot@" Output = "n@node@" }

Electrode { { name="Cathode" Voltage=0.0 } { name="Anode" Voltage=0.0 } }

Physics { Mobility( DopingDep HighFieldSaturation Enormal ) EffectiveIntrinsicDensity( oldSlotboom ) }

Math { Extrapolate RelErrControl Notdamped=50 Iterations=20 }

Plot { eDensity hDensity eCurrent hCurrent ElectricField eEnormal hEnormal eQuasiFermi hQuasiFermi Potential Doping SpaceChargeSRH Auger AvalancheGeneration eMobility hMobility DonorConcentration AcceptorConcentration Doping eVelocity hVelocity }

Solve { Quasistationary( InitialStep=1e-3 MaxStep=0.5 Goal{Name="Cathode" Voltage=2.0} ){Coupled{Poisson Electron Hole} CurrentPlot(Time=(Range=(0 1) Intervals=20)) } }

FILE SECTIONThe input file(from SDE)Sometimes you may need parameter files.Output file XXX.tdr------ Device figure XXX.plt------ Plot file XXX.log, XXX.out----log files

ELECTRODE SECTION

PHYSICS SECTIONWhat models will be used

MATH SECTIONAbout calculation issue

Plot SectionWhat parameter will be showed in the XXX.tdr output file

Solve SectionHow to simulate the device

Right Click the SDEVICE tool, Edit Input > CommandPaste the command files.

run button

Double click the target node, you can track the running status with more details.

If something is wrong in the simulation, you can try to check the XXX.out and XXX.err to debug.

When you finish it, save the command file and close it.

Use “Ctrl+R” to run the project. Or Choose the target node(I figured it out in this figure), and click “run button”.

File content

Log Files

Part 4: SVISUAL

XXX.tdr output file: Show the device figure.

Choose what parameter you’d like to see(you have to define them in Physic Section in SDEVICE code as we mentioned above)

Choose different region or contacts or material to show

The Plot Properties

Another important tool： Cut

XXX.plt output file: Show the plot curve. 1. Choose the data set

2. Choose X-Axis(usually chose time as X-Axis)

3. Choose Y-Axis(Here we choose Cathode TotalCurrent as the Y value)

Notes: You can only choose one X-Axis value. But you can choose many Y-Axis manual. This way you just get many curves.