COMPARISON OF TRANSIENT BALLISTIC ELECTRON TRANSPORT IN BULK WURTZITE PHASE 6H-SiC and GaN

Abstract

An ensemble Monte Carlo simulation is used to compare bulk electron ballistic transport in 6H - SiC and GaN materials. Electronic states within the conduction band valleys at Γ1, U, M, Γ3, and K are represented by nonparabolic ellipsoidal valleys centered on important symmetry points of the Brillouin zone. The large optical phonon energy (~120 meV) and the large intervalley energy separation between the Γ and satellite conduction band valleys suggest an increasing role for ballistic electron effects in 6H - SiC , especially when compared with most III-V semiconductors such as GaAs . Transient velocity overshoot has been simulated, with the sudden application of fields up to ~5×107 Vm -1, appropriate to the gate-drain fields expected within an operational field effect transistor. A peak-saturation drift velocity ratio of 2:1 is predicted for 6H - SiC material while that for GaN is 4:1. The electron drift velocity relaxes to the saturation value of ~2×105 ms -1 within 3 ps, for both crystal structures. The transient velocity overshoot characteristics are in fair agreement with other recent calculations.