MicroTec provides most of the features of a full-size workstation-based process and device simulator in a small footprint PC application
Waterloo, Ontario (PRWEB) September 30, 2016
With the industry shifting away from market-dominating Silicon based devices, Organic Semiconductors are a promising alternative that provide a light weight and inexpensive alternative. For example, organic semiconductor solar cells have been reported with 10% energy-conversion efficiency, as noted by publications such as IEEE Spectrum. Even with this growing popularity, commercially available simulators do not accurately portray Organic Semiconductor Devices.
Over the past few years, Waterloo based Siborg Systems Inc. and teams from McMaster University in Hamilton, and University of Waterloo, Ontario, worked together to research Organic Semiconductor Solar Cells. This project “Implementation of Physical Models and Algorithms for Organic Semiconductor Device Simulator”, which was supported by Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, researched organic semiconductor solar cells. Most of the implemented models are equally applicable to a variety of organic semiconductor devices; these applications range from solar cells, displays, large area electronics and even wearable technology.
The team created and released a prototype of simulator for organic semiconductor solar cells, though it is still under testing. More research should be done to improve the exciton transport in organic semiconductors; these models must include more accurate exciton dissociation rates for hetero-junctions, exciton diffusion coefficients, etc.
After completion of the development the new models will be implemented in MicroTec: a simulation tool for semiconductor process and devices that has been used for education and research in more than 130 schools in 30 countries, including leading universities such as Waseda University, University of Waterloo, Tokyo Institute of Technology and University of California at Berkeley. MicroTec is an excellent supplement to any book on semiconductor devices or processes, enabling creation of virtual devices using simplified but practical semiconductor processing flow and then analyzing the resulted device performance. A version of MicroTec was presented by John Wiley & Sons as an addition to Professor Ton Mouthaan’s book “Semiconductor Devices Explained.”
Siborg also developed a set of simulation examples to be used with Ben Streetman’s and Sunjay Banerjee’s text book “Solid State Electronic Devices”.
MicroTec is a simplified TCAD tool that has been used by major semiconductor manufacturers such as Hitachi, General Electric, NTT, Integrated Device Technology, Texas Instruments, Matasushita and National Semiconductor. It has been known to outperform other TCAD tools when extensive simulations are required for silicon power semiconductor devices and for simulation of large area devices such as solar cells. It is also remarkably stable in simulation of devices that are made of wide bandgap materials such as SiC, GaN and others. Cree Research used MicroTec for SiC device simulation in their research due to this stability.
As an educational tool, MicroTec is simple and easy to learn. It features non-planar semiconductor device simulations, graphical device structure editors, parameterized simulation runs and more.
“MicroTec provides most of the features of a full-size workstation-based process and device simulator in a small footprint PC application. The program is easy to use and the numerical stability is outstanding.“ says Professor Bruce Darling, University of Washington, Seattle.
”It runs swiftly and presents the user with clean graphical output of just the elements one is looking for. It is an excellent tool for classroom use, since it allows new users to concentrate on the physics without becoming mired in the software intricacies of a large workstation application. MicroTec offers exceptional functionality for its price, and it runs on a PC!”
The software consists of two main tools: SiDif for 2D semiconductor process simulation and SemSim for steady-state 2D semiconductor device simulation. It can simulator devices including DMOS, SOI-MOSFET, MOSFET, JFET, BJT, IGBT, Schottky devices, Solar Cells and more. SiDif allows MicroTec to simulate oxidation, diffusion, epitaxy and implantation.
In addition to MicroTec, Siborg also develops a three-dimensional simulation tools for 3D Poisson/Diffusion/Heat Transfer Equation Solver: SibLin for Windows.
MicroTec is available online at Siborg’s download page. This version features a fully functional graphical user interface that is able to create new projects without an ability to run them. Users are only able to run demo 2D simulation of MOSFET, with the ability to only change voltages, physical models and parameters, such as mobilities, life-times, temperature, bandgap, etc. The demo is able to fully demonstrate such known phenomena as sub-threshold and breakdown regime of operation, punch-through, substrate bias effect on the threshold voltage and other effects. The demo version does not have to be licensed and is free to use for education. The MicroTec Manual is available here
About Siborg Systems inc.
Established in 1994, Siborg Systems Inc. is a source of engineering software and hardware tools for the semiconductor and electronics industry. Located in the city of Waterloo, Ontario, it enjoys being a part of the local world-renowned high-tech community.
Since 2003, Siborg also develops and markets Electronic Test Tools: LCR-Reader and Smart Tweezers LCR- and ESR-meter s.
For more information:
Siborg Systems Inc.
24 Combermere Crescent