Investigation of spurious velocity overshoot using Monte Carlo data

For the simulation of state-of-the-art devices, hydrodynamic and energy tra nsport models account for nonlocal effects. Although these models have been available for several decades, there are still unresolved issues. One of t hese issues is the occurrence of spurious peaks in the velocity profile whi ch are inherent to both Stratton's [Phys. Rev. 126, 2002 (1962)] and Blotek jaer's [IEEE Trans.Electron Devices 17, 38 (1970)] models. We investigate t he origin of these peaks by introducing relaxation times, mobilities, and c losure relations directly from a coupled Monte Carlo simulator. From these simulations, we conclude that the spurious peaks are a direct result of the truncation of the infinite moment series and the inaccuracies in the physi cal models. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.