Summary

Circuit simulation is widely used for the design of circuits, both discrete and integrated. Device modeling is an impor­ tant aspect of circuit simulation since it is the link between the physical device and the sim ulate d device. Curren tly available circuit simulation programs provide a variety of built-in models. Many circuit designers use these built-in models whereas some incorporate new models in the circuit sim ulation programs. Understanding device modeling with particular emphasis on circuit simulation will be helpful in utilizing the built-in models more efficiently as well as in implementing new models. SPICE is used as a vehicle since it is the most widely used circuit sim ulation program. How­ ever, some issues are addressed which are not directly appli­ cable to SPICE but are applicable to circuit simulation in general. These discussions are useful for modifying SPICE and for understanding other simulation programs. The gen­ eric version 2G. 6 is used as a reference for SPICE, although numerous different versions exist with different modifications. This book describes field effect transistor models commonly used in a variety of circuit sim ulation pro­ grams. Understanding of the basic device physics and some familiarity with device modeling is assumed. Derivation of the model equations is not included. ( SPICE is a circuit sim ulation program available from EECS Industrial Support Office, 461 Cory Hall, University of Cali­ fornia, Berkeley, CA 94720. ) Acknowledgements I wish to express my gratitude to Valid Logic Systems, Inc.