The Semiconductor (semi) interface (
), found under the
Semiconductor branch (
) when adding a physics interface, solves Poisson’s equation for the electric potential and the drift-diffusion equations for electrons and holes in a semiconductor material. The default domain feature is the
Semiconductor Material Model, which adds these equations to the domain, solving for the electric potential and dependent variables related to the electron and hole concentrations.
When this physics interface is added, these default nodes are also added to the Model Builder — Semiconductor Material Model,
Insulation,
Zero Charge, and
Initial Values. Then, from the
Physics toolbar, add other nodes that implement, for example, boundary conditions and Generation-Recombination models. You can also right-click
Semiconductor to select physics features from the context menu.
The Label is the default physics interface name.
The Name is used primarily as a scope prefix for variables defined by the physics interface. Refer to such physics interface variables in expressions using the pattern
<name>.<variable_name>. In order to distinguish between variables belonging to different physics interfaces, the
name string must be unique. Only letters, numbers, and underscores (_) are permitted in the
Name field. The first character must be a letter.
The default Name (for the first physics interface in the model) is
semi.
Enter the Out-of-plane thickness d (SI unit: m) (2D components), or
Cross-section area A (SI unit: m
2) (1D components), or
Vertical height d (SI unit: m) (1D axisymmetric components).
Use Model properties to set the carrier statistics and solution variables in the model.
Select an option from the Solution list —
Electrons and holes (the default) to solve for both, or
Majority carriers only to solve the drift diffusion equations for only one of the carriers, computing the concentration of the other carrier by means of the mass action law:
np=ni2. For
Majority carriers only also select the
Majority carriers —
Electrons (the default) or
Holes.
Enter the Interface continuation parameter Cp (dimensionless). The default is 1.
Select a Doping and trap density continuation —
No continuation (the default),
Use interface continuation parameter, or
User defined. For
User defined enter a value for the
Doping and trap density continuation parameter Cp (dimensionless). The default is 1.
To display this section, click the Show More Options button (
) and select
Advanced Physics Options in the
Show More Options dialog box. Enter a
Reference temperature for energy levels T0 (SI unit: K). The default is 293.15 K.
To display the section: Click the Show More Options button (
) and select
Stabilization in the
Show More Options dialog box. Then under
Discretization, select one of these options to further define this section:
Finite element, log formulation (linear shape function),
Finite element, log formulation (quadratic shape function), Finite element (linear), or
Finite element (quadratic).
To display the section click the Show More Options button (
) and select
Advanced Physics Options. This section is only applicable and visible for the Fermi-Dirac statistics with the Finite volume discretization. By selecting the check box, the computed current density is most consistent with the limiting case of equilibrium condition (zero current density).
The dependent variable (field variable) is for the Electric potential V,
Electron concentration Ne, and/or
Hole concentration Ph depending on the selected
Solution (
Electron and holes or
Majority carrier only) under Model Properties. For the quasi-Fermi level formulation and the density-gradient formulation, the dependent variable for the electrons or holes is their quasi-Fermi level instead of their concentration. In addition, for the density-gradient formulation, the Slotboom variables are added to the list of dependent variables.