In connection with the reduction in the size of electronic elements and the increase in operating frequencies, it becomes necessary to transmit signals between the nodes of the circuit using micro strip transmission lines. . Micro strip is similar to strip line transmission line except that the micro strip is not sandwiched, it is on a surface layer, above a ground plane. A strip line circuit uses a flat strip of metal which is sandwiched between two parallel ground planes. The insulating material of the substrate forms a dielectric. The width of the strip, the thickness of the substrate and the relative permittivity of the substrate determine the characteristic impedance of the strip which is a transmission line. As shown in the diagram, the central conductor need not be equally spaced between the ground planes. In the general case, the dielectric material may be different above and below the central conductor.

Amorphous In-Ga-Zn-O (a-IGZO), which is a typical amorphous oxide conductor (AOS), is considered to be one of the most promising channel materials of thin-film transistors (TFTs) for new flat-panel displays because of the high mobility, the small sub-threshold swing and the low off current [1].

Gallium nitride (GaN)-based devices have entered the power electronics market and are showing excellent progress in the medium power conversion application [1]-[5]. For high-power conversion application, devices with vertical geometry are preferred over lateral geometry, since the former allows more current for a given chip area, therefore making it more economical and feasible solution for high-voltage and high-current application [3]. It is generally considered that for high voltage/high current applications (900V/100A), vertical device structures might be more suitable owing to their capability of achieving lower specific on-resistance and high breakdown voltage simultaneously [3, 4].

In a previous article in Simulation Standard article entitled “Soft Error Simulations”, we discussed various ways to simulate soft errors using either TCAD, SPICE or a mixture of both. In this article we present a methodology for obtaining the Weibull function curve required for calculating the Failures In Time (FIT) rate of typical circuits in a reasonable time, using only TCAD simuations. This approach allows a true calculation of FIT rate by simulating incoming ionizing particles for any angle, location, and energy, in relation to devices in the circuit.

Researchers and designers are looking into a future of ultra-low power and ultra-low voltage (ULV) devices and designs. Portable devices, nodes, and sensors, energy harvesting are all examples of devices that require ultra-low power designs. Microprocessors and memory have also been making the leap to ULV. Research hours have been poured into creating devices to work in these ULV conditions. As conventional devices are hitting the limit of what they can achieve, band-to-band tunneling (BTBT) has been viewed as a candidate for the future of ULV technologies.