Simulation of plasma resonances in MOSFETs for THz-signal detection

We present simulations by the 2D drift-diffusion model of a quarter-micron NMOSFET at THz frequencies. The derivative of the current densities with respect to time is included in the model, which enables simulations of plasma oscillations. In contrast to the usual 1D transmission line models this approach includes all 2D effects of the device (parasitics, inhomogeneous channel, etc.). In the case of silicon the impact of plasma oscillations is found to be negligible due to the strong damping. With respect to numerics it is found that the backward differentiation formula based on trigonometric functions is very efficient for simulation of the periodic steady-state.