Analysis of a p-i-n Diode Circuit at Radio Frequency Using an Electromagnetic-Physics-Based Simulation Method

Abstract

Embracing the era of higher operating frequencies, expanding functionality, and increased integration scale, modern circuit design relies more and more on the accurate prediction of the electromagnetic (EM) effects resulting from undesired radiation and mutual coupling of digital electronic devices. In this paper, an electromagnetic-physics-based simulation method is proposed, to simulate semiconductor devices and circuits. It utilizes physics-based simulation to analyze semiconductor devices in a circuit and incorporates this physics-based simulation into electromagnetic simulation (e.g., the finite difference time domain (FDTD)), to simulate a circuit at high frequency. To validate the proposed method, sample numerical results on circuits containing a commercial p-i-n diode with model number mot_bal99lt1 at radio frequency (RF) were obtained and compared with measurement data. The comparison showed a good agreement between the two sets of data, which validated the feasibility and accuracy of the proposed algorithm. Moreover, the proposed method can provide a useful physical mechanism for understanding effects on semiconductor devices and circuits.