Synopsys TCAD

This is a suite of programs for semiconductor device simulation. The software allows you to design a device structure (including simulating its fabrication, if needed), simulate its behaviour under different conditions, then visualise the results.

Setting up the software (copied from IT Wiki)

The group has 20 Synopsis TCAD licenses. To use Synopsis TCAD source the file /data/ppe01/sl305/i386/synopsys/env-setup.sh this will setup several environment variables and also add the TCAD binary directory (/data/ppe01/sl305/i386/synopsys/Z_2007.03/tcad/Z-2007.03/linux/bin) into your path.

Batch job submission

See the main PPE IT Wiki for general information on running jobs on the batch computing system. This can be particularly useful if a simulation is slow, or you have multiple simulations to run.

http://ppewww.physics.gla.ac.uk/ppeit-wiki/index.php/BatchComputing

Also, here is an example submission file for a Synopsys job. Once you've specified details of the job like duration, queue etc. you need to setup the software by sourcing the script mentioned previously, cd to the appropriate folder, then use the normal commands to run the software.

pp3.job

Manuals and documentation

Manuals for the software can be found in the "Solvnet" section of the Synopsys website:

https://solvnet.synopsys.com/

You need to create an account to do this. When creating the account, it asks you for the site ID - for Glasgow it's 9249.

Tutorials and examples

If you have difficulty with the files below, or other questions / comments, email me at david.pennicard@googlemail.com

Introduction_to_Sentaurus_TCAD.ppt - Powerpoint presentation giving an overview of the different packages available within Sentaurus.

WorkbenchTutorial.doc - Instructions for using Sentaurus Workbench to run a project. This allows you to run a large number of similar simulations using different parameters (for example, simulating how the charge collection behaviour of a detector varies depending on the position of the particle track). I would only recommend using this once you are familiar with running individual simulations.

Radiation_Damage_in_Sentaurus_TCAD.ppt - Instructions on simulating radiation-damaged detectors by directly modelling trap behaviour. The particular example here models p-type FZ after proton irradiation. It's also possible to choose your own trap levels and parameters.

http://ppewww.physics.gla.ac.uk/det_dev/activities/threedee/Documents/BarcelonaSeminar/SENTAURUS.tgz - A tar archive containing simulation examples. Since this is a large file (~40MB) this is a link rather than an attachment - right-click on the link to save the file. In Linux, you can uncompress it using:

tar -xzvf SENTAURUS.tgz

The folder SENTAURUS/Seminar contains various simulation files used as examples in the 3 presentations listed above.

SENTAURUS/Other useful sims has example command files from various simulations I've done. Most of these examples use 3D device simulation, whereas the previous examples are all in 2D.

Note also that all my old simulation files will be in the following folder on the ppe netword. I think they should be accessible within the department.

Linux: /data/detdev01/dpennica/genesis_lib

Windows: \\Ppesmb\detdev01\dpennica\genesis_lib

Simulation papers

Here are some papers on simulating 3D detectors:

SimulationResultsFromDoubleSided3DDetectors.pdf - Simulations of CNM double-sided 3D detectors - includes IV and CV, charge collection simulation, and breakdown effects

SimulationsOfRadiationDamaged3DDetectorsForSLHC.pdf - Simulations of ATLAS detectors for the SLHC. Includes radiation damage effects. Also acts as an example of how Workbench can be used to repeat a simulation using different parameters, in order to optimise a device structure.

Also, my thesis should be available on the appropriate PPE page.

http://www.gla.ac.uk/departments/particlephysicsexperiment/currenttheses/

-- DavidPennicard - 28 Apr 2009