Coulomb Scattering: Dragica Vasileska Professor Arizona State University
Coulomb Scattering: Dragica Vasileska Professor Arizona State University
Coulomb Scattering: Dragica Vasileska Professor Arizona State University
Dragica Vasileska
Professor
Arizona State University
What contributes to Γkk′ ?
Scattering Mechanisms
Crystal
Impurity Alloy Intravalley Intervalley
Defects
processes
Where is Coulomb Scattering Important:
◦ Heavily doped bulk systems
◦ Semiconductor devices
Nanoscale MOSFETs
MESFETs
PN Diodes
BJTs
Contact regions of FD SOI devices, Dual-gate
transistors, FinFETS
HEMTs -> remote Coulomb scattering is important.
Since remote Coulomb scattering is much weaker, we
have very high mobilities in HEMT structures that are
used in RF applications
Coulomb Scattering
Location of the Channel in Different FET Types
n+ n+ n+ n AlGaAs n+ n+ n+
i GaAs p-type Si
S.I. GaAs
S.I. GaAs
Channel Channel Channel
bulk-like 2DEG 2DEG
Inversion layer
EC EC
EC
EF EF EF
EV EV
EV
Ionized impurity scattering is due to:
r 1 screening cloud 1 − r / λD
+ → e
r r
-
To proceed, we must find a second independent equation relating ∆ρ and ∆φ. There are
two possible approximations, under which the two quantities are proportional: the Debye-
Hückel approximation, valid at high temperatures, and the Fermi-Thomas approximation,
valid at low temperatures.
In the Debye-Hückel approximation, we maintain the system in
thermodynamic equilibrium, at a temperature T high enough
that the fluid particles obey Maxwell-Boltzmann statistics. At
each point in space, the density of electrons with energy j has
the form
Debye-Hückel approximation
In the Fermi-Thomas approximation, we maintain the system at
a constant chemical potential and at low temperatures. (The
former condition corresponds, in a real experiment, to keeping
the fluid in electrical contact at a fixed potential difference with
ground.) The chemical potential µ is, by definition, the energy
of adding an extra electron to the fluid. This energy may be
decomposed into a kinetic energy T and the potential energy -
eφ. Since the chemical potential is kept constant,
∆µ = ∆T − e∆φ = 0.
Fermi-Thomas approximation
Our results from the Debye-Hückel or Fermi-Thomas
approximation may now be inserted into the first Maxwell
equation. The result is
kk ′ N i Z 2e 4 ni Z 2e 4
Vi ≅ 2 2 =
( )
V q + λ εsc V q 2 + λ2 εsc
2 2 2
( )
where ni is the impurity density (per unit volume).
From M. Lundstrom, private communication.
• The total scattering rate from k to k′ is given from Fermi’s
golden rule as:
2πni Z 2e 4
Γki k ′ = δ(Ek′ − Ek )
( 2
)
2 2
V q + λ εsc
If θ is the angle between k and k′, then:
q = k − k′ = k 2 + k ′2 − 2kk ′ cos θ = 2k 2 (1 − cos θ )
• Comments on the behavior of this scattering mechanism:
- Increases linearly with impurity concentration
- Decreases with increasing energy (k2), favors lower T
- Favors small angle scattering
- Ionized Impurity-Dominates at low temperature, or room
temperature in impure samples (highly doped regions)
• Integration over all k′ gives the total scattering rate Γk :
n Z 2 4
e m * 4k 2
Γki = i 2 3 3 2 ; qD = 1 / λ
(
8πεsc k qD 4k 2 + qD2 )
From M. Lundstrom, private communication.
From M. Lundstrom, private communication.
From M. Lundstrom, private communication.
From M. Lundstrom, private communication.
Electron and hole mobility in bulk silicon at T=300K.
Mobility Modeling
Phonon scattering:
- Simple power-law dependence of the temperature
- Sah et al. model:
acoustic + optical and intervalley phonons
combined via Mathiessen’s rule
- Arora model:
similar to Caughey and Thomas, but with
temperature dependent phonon
scattering
1400
1200
1000
-s
/V-
Mobility cm2/V
800
600
400
200
0
16 17 18 19
10 10 10 10
2.4 × 10 7
vsat (T ) = cm/s
TL
1 + 0.8 exp
600
Field-Dependent Mobility