Monte Carlo device modeling of 3D n-FinFETs to investigate heat generation
Dastider, Ankan Ghosh
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Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129730
Description
Title
Monte Carlo device modeling of 3D n-FinFETs to investigate heat generation
Author(s)
Dastider, Ankan Ghosh
Issue Date
2025-05-08
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Rakheja, Shaloo
Department of Study
Electrical & Computer Eng
Discipline
Electrical & Computer Engr
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
M.S.
Degree Level
Thesis
Keyword(s)
Monte Carlo
Finfet
Tcad
Semiconductor Device
Heat Generation
Scattering
Language
eng
Abstract
Understanding heat generation in transistors is not only interesting from a physics perspective but is also crucial for addressing self-heating and ensuring the reliability of nanoscale devices. Although FinFETs exhibit superior electrostatics compared to traditional planar structures, they suffer from self-heating which is exacerbated by advanced scaling. Since it is challenging to measure heat conduction at the nanoscale, advanced TCAD simulations are essential for understanding how heat is generated and transferred in such small structures. In this work, a 3D Monte Carlo (MC) device simulator is employed to investigate the spatial profile of heat source inside an 18-nm gate length n-FinFET, which is further used to estimate the lattice temperature during nominal device operation. We find that the average electron energy peaks to roughly 0.8 eV near the drain end (electron temperature ~ 6000 K) and it decays to its equilibrium value over an energy-relaxation length of ~ 20 nm. Crucially, this heat source gives an elevated lattice temperature of 428 K near the drain end, while the entire channel also operates much above the ambient temperature of 300 K, whereas a hypothetical Gaussian heat source is shown to result in an inaccurate spatial profile of the lattice temperature. Our results show that the design of FinFETs for reliability must properly account for electron heating and electron-phonon scatterings throughout the device.
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