Hierarchy of simulation approaches for hot carrier transport in deep submicron devices

Rapid advances in integrated circuit technology are pushing the size of semiconductor devices into the deep submicron range. The traditional simulation approaches based on simplified transport equations are not adequate to capture the behaviour of high-energy carriers that are responsible for nonlinear transport behaviour and reliability problems. This brief review examines the complete hierarchy of device simulation approaches and analyses the capabilities and limitations of the various approaches that are available today.