Optimization of linear systems for 3D parallel simulation of semiconductor devices: Application to statistical studies

The 3D simulators are nowadays essential in semiconductor device modelling in order to study fluctuation effects when devices are scaled to gate lengths approaching nanometre dimensions. To take into account these effects it is necessary to perform statistical studies, which have a high computational cost. The resolution of the linear systems generated by the discretization of partial differential equations is the most time-consuming part of the simulation process. In this paper we propose an optimization of the linear system solution procedure based on domain decomposition methods implemented in a 3D parallel drift–diffusion device simulator. We have also carried out an analysis of the parallel performance of the device simulator. Numerical results show superlinear efficiency values up to 62 processors in the solution of the Poisson equation. The results were obtained on a Cluster HP Integrity Superdome. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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