Modeling electron and hole transport with full-band structure effects by means of the Spherical-Harmonics Expansion of the BTE

The Spherical-Harmonics solution of the Boltzmann Transport Equation (BTE) in silicon is generalized to the full-band case for both electrons and holes. The relevant scattering mechanisms, including impact ionization, are modeled consistently. Comparison with experimental data and Monte Carlo (MC) analysis emphasize the importance of a correct description of the band structure and impact ionization especially in the analysis of carrier transport at high energies, and the ability of the Spherical-Harmonics Expansion (SHE) scheme to efficiently incorporate the features of the transport mechanisms to a rather general extent.