Abstract

With further device simulation in mind, device process simulation aims to predict the fabrication process outcome and create the simulation mesh necessary for two-dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) simulation. The combination of process and device simulation for semiconductor technology modeling is often termed technology computer-aided design (TCAD). The pioneering work in semiconductor process simulation was the SUPREM code created by Stanford University in the 1980s and early 1990s (Hansen and Deal, 1994), mainly concerning silicon process. Commercial versions of SUPREM up to this date are still used. Compound semiconductors are the main materials used in semiconductor optoelectronics applications, and this is the focus of this chapter. Since silicon photonics (in combination with compounds) is an important research subject, we shall describe the basic theories and principles related to silicon as well. It is hoped that the elaborate theories and methods built for silicon will find use in compound semiconductors.