Modeling and simulation of tunneling current in MOS devices including quantum mechanical effects

In this paper we report on the modeling and simulation of tunneling current in MOS devices including quantum mechanical effects. The simulation model features an original scheme for the self consistent solution of Poisson and Schrodinger equations and it is used for the extraction of the oxide thickness, by fitting CV curves, and the calculation of the tunneling current. Simulations and experiments are compared for different device types and oxide thicknesses (1.5-6.5 nm) showing goad agreement and pointing out the importance of quantum mechanical modeling and the presence of many tunneling mechanisms in ultra-thin oxide MOS devices.