227-0159-00L Semiconductor Devices: Quantum Transport at the Nanoscale
| Semester | Spring Semester 2018 |
| Lecturers | M. Luisier, A. Emboras |
| Periodicity | yearly recurring course |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Abstract | This class offers an introduction into quantum transport theory, a rigorous approach to electron transport at the nanoscale. It covers different topics such as bandstructure, Wave Function and Non-equilibrium Green's Function formalisms, and electron interactions with their environment. Matlab exercises accompany the lectures where students learn how to develop their own transport simulator. |
| Objective | The continuous scaling of electronic devices has given rise to structures whose dimensions do not exceed a few atomic layers. At this size, electrons do not behave as particle any more, but as propagating waves and the classical representation of electron transport as the sum of drift-diffusion processes fails. The purpose of this class is to explore and understand the displacement of electrons through nanoscale device structures based on state-of-the-art quantum transport methods and to get familiar with the underlying equations by developing his own nanoelectronic device simulator. |
| Content | The following topics will be addressed: - Introduction to quantum transport modeling - Bandstructure representation and effective mass approximation - Open vs closed boundary conditions to the Schrödinger equation - Comparison of the Wave Function and Non-equilibrium Green's Function formalisms as solution to the Schrödinger equation - Self-consistent Schödinger-Poisson simulations - Quantum transport simulations of resonant tunneling diodes and quantum well nano-transistors - Top-of-the-barrier simulation approach to nano-transistor - Electron interactions with their environment (phonon, roughness, impurity,...) - Multi-band transport models |
| Lecture notes | Lecture slides are distributed every week and can be found at https://iis-students.ee.ethz.ch/lectures/quantum-transport-in-nanoscale-devices/ |
| Literature | Recommended textbook: "Electronic Transport in Mesoscopic Systems", Supriyo Datta, Cambridge Studies in Semiconductor Physics and Microelectronic Engineering, 1997 |
| Prerequisites / Notice | Basic knowledge of semiconductor device physics and quantum mechanics |