Noise Simulation in Nanoscale Semiconductor Devices

Georgia Tech Research Corporation, Atlanta GA

Investigators

Abstract

The growth in the market for wireless communications devices has reached dramatic proportions in the past decade. This development has spurred rapid advances in RF integrated circuits technology. Competing requirements on the performance of RF circuits pose significant technical challenges at all levels, from architectural design to integrated circuit fabrication. In order to meet these challenges, significant advances in related computer-aided design (CAD) technology are also needed. The availability of innovative CAD tools that cover the entire design process is critical to the successful design of leading-edge RF systems. An important limiting factor affecting the performance of RF components is electrical noise, a phenomenon intrinsic to all electronic devices. The mechanisms responsible for the generation of electrical noise inside semiconductor transistors are poorly understood, and even less so in the case of devices whose size is in the nanoscale range. For this reason, currently it is very difficult, if not impossible, to assess the impact of noise on the performance of circuits built using nanoscale technology. The goal of this research project is the development of computer-aided software to simulate the mechanisms responsible for the generation of electrical noise in nanoscale semiconductor devices. The simulations will be used to develop improved and more accurate mathematical models of those mechanisms, which will be validated against data from experimental measurements available in the literature. These models will make it possible to realize aggressive designs of nanotechnology-based RF systems. Commercial use of the scientific results of this project will be facilitated by the Interconnect Focus Center, a research center established by the Semiconductor Industry Association at Georgia Tech, whose goal is to sustain the technology growth of the semiconductor industry by placing an emphasis on significant long-term research. Integration of research and education will be pursued through graduate and undergraduate courses and seminars and through the Georgia Tech Regional Engineering Program, a distance-learning program established in collaboration with other Georgia universities to offer innovative engineering education and to serve as catalyst for economic development.