ABSTRACT
Compact device models for circuit computer-aided design requires detailed description of the transistor characteristics in the circuit environment under various biasing conditions. Transistor characteristics, however, depend on the material properties of the basic building blocks of each transistor along with its geometrical and structural information. Crystalline silicon is a widely used semiconductor-starting material in the fabrication of Integrated Circuit devices and chips. Thus, unless otherwise specified, the semiconductor physics is described with reference to silicon. The electrical properties of a semiconductor are determined by the number of carriers available for conduction. This number is determined from the density of states and the probability that these states are occupied by carriers. In a semiconductor under thermal equilibrium, carriers possess an average thermal energy corresponding to the ambient temperature. This thermal energy excites some valence electrons to reach the mobile.
