DEVSIM Manual

This is the manual for the DEVSIM TCAD Semiconductor Device Simulator. For more information, please visit https://devsim.org. Links to the PDF version and other documents are available from https://devsim.org/introduction.html#documentation. Please cite the manual or simulator using the instructions in Citing this Work.

Contents:

• 1. Front Matter
  • 1.1. Contact
  • 1.2. Copyright
  • 1.3. Citing this Work
  • 1.4. Documentation License
  • 1.5. Disclaimer
  • 1.6. Trademark
• 2. Release Notes
  • 2.1. Introduction
  • 2.2. Version 2.6.0
    • 2.2.1. Symbolic Factorization Reuse
    • 2.2.2. Reset Simulator
    • 2.2.3. Build Infrastructure
    • 2.2.4. Citing DEVSIM
    • 2.2.5. Documentation
  • 2.3. Version 2.5.0
  • 2.4. Version 2.4.0
    • 2.4.1. Determine Loaded Math Libraries
    • 2.4.2. UMFPACK 5.1 Solver
    • 2.4.3. Direct Solver Callback
    • 2.4.4. Apple M1
    • 2.4.5. Bugs
  • 2.5. Version 2.3.8
    • 2.5.1. Bugs
  • 2.6. Version 2.3.7
    • 2.6.1. Apple M1 Support
    • 2.6.2. Python Notebook Example With 3D Visualization
    • 2.6.3. Bugs
  • 2.7. Version 2.3.6
  • 2.8. Release 2.3.1
    • 2.8.1. Python PIP Package
    • 2.8.2. Remove Windows MSYS Build
    • 2.8.3. Build Notes
  • 2.9. Release 2.2.0
    • 2.9.1. Device and mesh deletion commands
    • 2.9.2. Extended Precision
    • 2.9.3. Direct Solver
    • 2.9.4. Code Quality
  • 2.10. Release 2.1.0
    • 2.10.1. Explicit math library loading
    • 2.10.2. Direct solver selection
    • 2.10.3. Kahan summation in extended precision mode
    • 2.10.4. Visual Studio 2022
  • 2.11. Release 2.0.1
    • 2.11.1. Update documentation files
    • 2.11.2. Update MKL Version
  • 2.12. Release 2.0.0
    • 2.12.1. New Major Version
    • 2.12.2. Contact and Interface Equation Commands
    • 2.12.3. Documentation
    • 2.12.4. Python Packages
    • 2.12.5. Solver
    • 2.12.6. Add Interface supporting Periodic Boundary Conditions
    • 2.12.7. Build Scripts
  • 2.13. Release 1.6.0
    • 2.13.1. Array Type Input and Output
    • 2.13.2. Get Matrix and RHS for External Use
    • 2.13.3. Maximum Divergence Count
    • 2.13.4. Mesh Visualization Element Orientation
    • 2.13.5. Figure annotation
    • 2.13.6. Citation
    • 2.13.7. Documentation License
    • 2.13.8. Online Forum
  • 2.14. Release 1.5.1
    • 2.14.1. Installation Script
    • 2.14.2. Math Functions Table
    • 2.14.3. Error Functions
    • 2.14.4. Fermi Integral
    • 2.14.5. Gauss-Fermi Integral
  • 2.15. Release 1.5.0
  • 2.16. Release 1.4.14
    • 2.16.1. Platforms
  • 2.17. Release 1.4.13
  • 2.18. Release 1.4.12
  • 2.19. Release 1.4.11
  • 2.20. Release 1.4.10
  • 2.21. Release 1.4.9
  • 2.22. Release 1.4.8
  • 2.23. Release 1.4.7
    • 2.23.1. Models
    • 2.23.2. Platforms
  • 2.24. Release 1.4.6
    • 2.24.1. Version Information
    • 2.24.2. Extended Precision
    • 2.24.3. Python Formatting
    • 2.24.4. Platforms
    • 2.24.5. External Meshing
  • 2.25. Release 1.4.5
  • 2.26. Release 1.4.4
    • 2.26.1. Bug Fixes
    • 2.26.2. Documentation
    • 2.26.3. Internal changes
  • 2.27. Release 1.4.3
  • 2.28. Release 1.4.2
  • 2.29. Release 1.4.1
    • 2.29.1. Math Functions
    • 2.29.2. Element Model Memory Leak
    • 2.29.3. Python 3 API Memory Leak
  • 2.30. Release 1.4.0
  • 2.31. Release 1.3.0
    • 2.31.1. Python 3 Examples
    • 2.31.2. Tcl Support Deprecated
    • 2.31.3. Binary Releases
  • 2.32. Release 1.2.0
  • 2.33. Release 1.1.0
  • 2.34. Release 1.0.0
    • 2.34.1. Documentation
    • 2.34.2. Version
    • 2.34.3. Operating Systems
    • 2.34.4. Python Support
    • 2.34.5. GMSH Support
    • 2.34.6. CGNS Support
  • 2.35. July 20, 2018
    • 2.35.1. Documentation
    • 2.35.2. Python 3 Support
    • 2.35.3. Element Information
    • 2.35.4. Interface Boundary Condition
    • 2.35.5. Interace Equation Coupling
    • 2.35.6. Interface and Contact Surface Area
    • 2.35.7. Bug Fixes
    • 2.35.8. Extended Precision
  • 2.36. May 15, 2017
    • 2.36.1. Platforms
    • 2.36.2. Binary Releases
    • 2.36.3. Bug Fixes
    • 2.36.4. Enhancements
    • 2.36.5. Example Availability
  • 2.37. February 6, 2016
  • 2.38. November 24, 2015
    • 2.38.1. Python Help
    • 2.38.2. Manual Updates
  • 2.39. November 1, 2015
    • 2.39.1. Convergence Info
    • 2.39.2. Python Interpreter Changes
    • 2.39.3. Platform Improvements and Binary Availability
  • 2.40. September 6, 2015
  • 2.41. August 10, 2015
  • 2.42. July 16, 2015
  • 2.43. June 7, 2015
  • 2.44. October 4, 2014
    • 2.44.1. Platform Availability
  • 2.45. December 25, 2013
    • 2.45.1. Binary Availability
    • 2.45.2. Platforms
    • 2.45.3. Source code improvements
  • 2.46. September 8, 2013
    • 2.46.1. Convergence
    • 2.46.2. Bernoulli Function Derivative Evaluation
    • 2.46.3. Default Edge Model
  • 2.47. August 14, 2013
    • 2.47.1. SYMDIFF functions
    • 2.47.2. Default Node Models
    • 2.47.3. Set Node Value
    • 2.47.4. Fix Edge Average Model
  • 2.48. July 29, 2013
    • 2.48.1. DEVSIM is open source
    • 2.48.2. Build
    • 2.48.3. Contact Material
    • 2.48.4. External Meshing
    • 2.48.5. Math Functions
    • 2.48.6. Test directory structure
• 3. Introduction
  • 3.1. Overview
  • 3.2. Goals
  • 3.3. Structures
  • 3.4. Equation assembly
  • 3.5. Parameters
  • 3.6. Circuits
  • 3.7. Meshing
  • 3.8. Analysis
  • 3.9. Scripting interface
  • 3.10. Expression parser
  • 3.11. Visualization and postprocessing
  • 3.12. Installation
  • 3.13. Additional information
  • 3.14. Examples
• 4. Equation and Models
  • 4.1. Overview
  • 4.2. Bulk models
    • 4.2.1. Node models
    • 4.2.2. Edge models
    • 4.2.3. Element edge models
    • 4.2.4. Model derivatives
    • 4.2.5. Conversions between model types
    • 4.2.6. Equation assembly
  • 4.3. Interface
    • 4.3.1. Interface models
    • 4.3.2. Interface model derivatives
    • 4.3.3. Interface equation assembly
  • 4.4. Contact
    • 4.4.1. Contact models
    • 4.4.2. Contact model derivatives
    • 4.4.3. Contact equation assembly
  • 4.5. Custom Matrix assembly
  • 4.6. Cylindrical Coordinate Systems
• 5. Parameters
  • 5.1. Parameters
  • 5.2. Environment Variables
  • 5.3. Material database entries
  • 5.4. Discussion
• 6. Circuits
  • 6.1. Circuit elements
  • 6.2. Connecting devices
• 7. Meshing
  • 7.1. 1D mesher
  • 7.2. 2D mesher
  • 7.3. Using an external mesher
    • 7.3.1. Gmsh
    • 7.3.2. Custom mesh loading using scripting
  • 7.4. Loading and saving results
• 8. Solver
  • 8.1. Solver
  • 8.2. DC analysis
  • 8.3. AC analysis
  • 8.4. Noise/Sensitivity analysis
  • 8.5. Transient analysis
• 9. User Interface
  • 9.1. Starting DEVSIM
  • 9.2. Python Language
    • 9.2.1. Introduction
    • 9.2.2. DEVSIM commands
    • 9.2.3. Advanced usage
    • 9.2.4. Unicode Support
  • 9.3. Error handling
    • 9.3.1. Python errors
    • 9.3.2. Fatal errors
    • 9.3.3. Floating point exceptions
    • 9.3.4. Solver errors
    • 9.3.5. Verbosity
    • 9.3.6. Parallelization
• 10. SYMDIFF
  • 10.1. Overview
  • 10.2. Syntax
    • 10.2.1. Variables and numbers
    • 10.2.2. Basic expressions
    • 10.2.3. Functions
    • 10.2.4. Commands
    • 10.2.5. User functions
    • 10.2.6. Macro assignment
  • 10.3. Invoking SYMDIFF from DEVSIM
    • 10.3.1. Equation parser
    • 10.3.2. Evaluating external math
    • 10.3.3. Models
• 11. Visualization
  • 11.1. Introduction
  • 11.2. Using Tecplot
  • 11.3. Using Postmini
  • 11.4. Using Paraview
  • 11.5. Using VisIt
  • 11.6. DEVSIM
• 12. Installation
  • 12.1. Availability
  • 12.2. Supported platforms
  • 12.3. Binary availability
  • 12.4. Source code availability
  • 12.5. Directory Structure
  • 12.6. Running DEVSIM
• 13. Additional Information
  • 13.1. DEVSIM License
  • 13.2. SYMDIFF
  • 13.3. External Software Tools
    • 13.3.1. Gmsh
    • 13.3.2. Paraview
    • 13.3.3. Tecplot
    • 13.3.4. VisIt
  • 13.4. Library Availablilty
    • 13.4.1. BLAS and LAPACK
    • 13.4.2. Python
    • 13.4.3. SQlite3
    • 13.4.4. SuperLU
    • 13.4.5. zlib
• 14. Command Reference
  • 14.1. Circuit Commands
  • 14.2. Equation Commands
  • 14.3. Geometry Commands
  • 14.4. Material Commands
  • 14.5. Meshing Commands
  • 14.6. Model Commands
  • 14.7. Solver Commands
• 15. Bibliography
• 16. Example Overview
  • 16.1. capacitance
  • 16.2. diode
  • 16.3. bioapp1
  • 16.4. vector_potential
  • 16.5. mobility
• 17. Capacitor
  • 17.1. Overview
  • 17.2. 1D Capacitor
    • 17.2.1. Equations
    • 17.2.2. Creating the mesh
  • 17.3. Setting device parameters
    • 17.3.1. Creating the models
    • 17.3.2. Contact boundary conditions
    • 17.3.3. Setting the boundary conditions
    • 17.3.4. Running the simulation
  • 17.4. 2D Capacitor
  • 17.5. Defining the mesh
  • 17.6. Setting up the models
  • 17.7. Fields for visualization
  • 17.8. Running the simulation
• 18. Diode
  • 18.1. 1D diode
    • 18.1.1. Using the python packages
    • 18.1.2. Creating the mesh
  • 18.2. Physical Models and Parameters
    • 18.2.1. Plotting the result

Indices and tables

• Index

• Module Index

• Search Page