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Electric field in air between metal tip and semiconductor

Posted Dec 7, 2013, 8:19 p.m. EST Semiconductor Devices 3 Replies

Angel Luis Alvarez
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Hello, I'm new with COMSOL. I'd like to know what is the most suitable module or procedure to study the electric field in air between a metal probe and a semiconductor. I understand that "Electrostatics Module" only works with metals or dielectrics, so it is not valid. But the "Semiconductor Module" apparently works just with semiconductors (so gap, density of states, carrier mobilities... are properties to be due in each domain). How can I do to solve electric fields outside de semiconducting layers, namely air? Thanks a lot!
3 Replies Last Post Dec 8, 2013, 10:53 a.m. EST
Edgar J. Kaiser Certified Consultant
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Posted: 1 decade ago Dec 8, 2013, 5:45 a.m. EST
Hi,

if you are only interested in the field in the air domain you can use electrostatics and just ignore the conductors. You would then use perfectly conducting boundary conditions or just potential boundary conditions.

Cheers
Edgar

--
Edgar J. Kaiser
emPhys Physical Technology
www.emphys.com
Hi, if you are only interested in the field in the air domain you can use electrostatics and just ignore the conductors. You would then use perfectly conducting boundary conditions or just potential boundary conditions. Cheers Edgar -- Edgar J. Kaiser emPhys Physical Technology http://www.emphys.com
Angel Luis Alvarez
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Posted: 1 decade ago Dec 8, 2013, 8:10 a.m. EST
Thank you very much, Edgar, for your quick answer. Yes, I assume your recommendation is a good approach in many cases, either if semiconductor is intrinsic (almost dielectric) or, on the contrary, is highly doped (almost conductor). But actually, I think I have an experimental setup with one of those intermediate cases (it is a TCO, transparent conductive oxide, actually not very conductive). I'm interested in the electric field close to both surfaces, semiconductor and metal probe, and I find significant differences when considering TCO as a dielectric (just characterised by its permittivity), or as a conductor (total electric field screening), so I would like to know if I can approach even more to the real case. My first option is considering air as a virtual semiconductor with a high gap and residual free carrier density. But I wanted to know if the "semiconductor module" may treat the three domains, dielectric, semiconductor and metal, simultaneously in the same "Model". May be a silly question, I'm a beginner. Thank you very much in advance!
Thank you very much, Edgar, for your quick answer. Yes, I assume your recommendation is a good approach in many cases, either if semiconductor is intrinsic (almost dielectric) or, on the contrary, is highly doped (almost conductor). But actually, I think I have an experimental setup with one of those intermediate cases (it is a TCO, transparent conductive oxide, actually not very conductive). I'm interested in the electric field close to both surfaces, semiconductor and metal probe, and I find significant differences when considering TCO as a dielectric (just characterised by its permittivity), or as a conductor (total electric field screening), so I would like to know if I can approach even more to the real case. My first option is considering air as a virtual semiconductor with a high gap and residual free carrier density. But I wanted to know if the "semiconductor module" may treat the three domains, dielectric, semiconductor and metal, simultaneously in the same "Model". May be a silly question, I'm a beginner. Thank you very much in advance!
Edgar J. Kaiser Certified Consultant
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Posted: 1 decade ago Dec 8, 2013, 10:53 a.m. EST
I can't help with the semiconductor module because I don't have it. You might address this to the COMSOL support.

Cheers
Edgar

--
Edgar J. Kaiser
emPhys Physical Technology
www.emphys.com
I can't help with the semiconductor module because I don't have it. You might address this to the COMSOL support. Cheers Edgar -- Edgar J. Kaiser emPhys Physical Technology http://www.emphys.com

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