Neil Goldsman - US grants

Effects of electron transport dominate semiconductor device behavior. The main objective of the proposed research is to develop a comprehensive, physically accurate transport model, which is suitable for efficient numerical evaluation. The model will integrate two approaches for characterizing electron transport: the Legendre polynomial technique, and the energy transport method. In addition to determining current densities and electric potentials, when fully realized, the model will allow for rapid calculation of the electron distribution function throughout a device. Initial studies will focus on numerically solving the homogeneous Boltzmann transport equation, using Legendre polynomials, while incorporating the effects of phonon scattering, one non-parabolic conduction band, and impact ionization. The model will then be used to calculate currents generated by ionization in MOSFETs. Next, the effect of several conduction bands will be introduced. Finally, the effect of nonlinear electron-electron scattering will be accounted for by using Fokker Plank formulation. Spatial dependence will be obtained by evaluating the energy balance equation to determine the space-dependent average electron energy. The space-dependent distribution function will then be determined by simultaneous solutions of the energy balance equation and the homogeneous Boltzmann equation. This study will facilitate a better understanding of the physical phenomena which affect submicron device operation, and is well suited for applications in CAD.

9314084 Goldsman We are developing a new approach to device simulation by direct, self-consistent solution of the Poisson equation and the Boltzmann transport equation (BTE). The method will quickly calculate the momentum distribution function for a semiconductor device. To solve the BTE, the distribution function will be expressed as a quasi-infinite spherical harmonic (SH) expansion, with unknown coefficients that depend on energy and position. To find the coefficients, a system of arbitrarily high-order equations will be obtained by projecting the BTE onto the SH basis. The system will then be solved numerically to yield the coefficients and thereby the device distribution function. ***

EEC-9725032 Goldsman, Neil ABSTRACT This award provides funding for a project entitled GEMSTONE: An Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Program Focusing on the Implications of Technology, administered by the Institute for Systems Research (an NSF Engineering Research Center) at the University of Maryland. The goal of the Gemstone program is to give undergraduate students the opportunity to take part in multi-year, inter-disciplinary research projects in some of the most important issues affecting society today--issues that are driven by technological change but with ramifications that go far beyond technology. These research projects in such diverse areas as the environment, medicine, telecommunications, and manufacturing will be part of an academic structure that educates the participants about the issues linking technology to business, law, politics, and social structures, while simultaneously giving the students a chance to apply their new insight to important contemporary problems, challenges, and opportunities.

PROPOSAL NO.: 0230628
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR: Goldsman, Neil
INSTITUTION NAME: University of Maryland College Park
TITLE: A Multidisciplinary Integrated Capstone Design Curriculum for Electrical and Computer Engineering

Abstract

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at the University
of Maryland at College Park (UMCP) is in the process of planning a major curriculum
revision for its undergraduate program. This planning grant will address the Capstone design
program, which will be greatly revised to provide a multidisciplinary design experience
for senior students and to integrate juniors and sophomores into the Capstone experience.
The team will assess the outcomes of the Capstone experience to generate data to guide the revision of our curriculum in general.

A major objective of the Capstone design courses is for the students to work on a
design project at a professional level. The project makes use of most of the knowledge
that students have acquired in the previous two to three years of the ECE curriculum.
Therefore, the outcome of the Capstone design experience should be an excellent
indicator of the how well the education process in the ECE Department is preparing
students for their professional career. A year-to-year assessment of the outcomes of the
Capstone design courses will enable us to make continuous improvements in the
sophomore, junior, and also the senior year curricula. This being the case, the revision of
the Capstone program will serve as the engine to drive curriculum revision for the entire
ECE program.