Abstract

An undergraduate research project is outlined whose goal was to use the TCAD tools to simulate the performances of GaAs- and SOI-based devices and to compare them with the corresponding silicon-based devices. Students used the Silvaco Corporation's "Virtual Wafer Fab" (VWF) package consisting of process simulation software called ATHENA, device layout software called DevEdit and device simulation software called ATLAS to simulate GaAs, SOI as well as conventional silicon devices. They explored the capabilities of these TCAD programs for five different GaAs and SOI devices including short-and long-channel JFETs, digital GaAs E-MESFETs, HEMTs and SOI BJTs.