Quantum simulation of self-heating effects in rough Si nanowire FETs

We present a quantum approach to simulate self-heating effects in transistors based on silicon nanowires and estimate the resulting performance degradation. Our self-consistent thermoelectric simulations are based on the nonequilibrium Green's function approach and provide the heat power transferred from electrons to phonons, thus allowing the calculation of the local temperature and its impact on the transistor output characteristics. We apply our approach to the simulation of a tri-gate transistor with a 14 nm channel length in the presence of surface roughness. Our results clearly indicate that self-heating effects are enhanced by surface roughness, with important consequences on the on-current of the device.