Hole transport in strained Si

In this article Monte Carlo simulation of hole transport in uniaxially strained Si is reported. The results are obtained using an exact analytical diagonalization of a six band k . p model. Thus we include the spin-orbit, light hole and heavy hole subbands, anisotropy, non-parabolicity and strain. Optical phonon and acoustical phonon scattering are implemented. In weak electric fields the drift mobility is found to increase with strain. The increase depends on the strain being tensile or compressive. The difference found in the two cases can be explained by the larger scattering rate in the tensile case which is caused by the greater density of states in the heavy hole band. At higher fields the drift mobility drops rapidly in strained Si as a function of the electric field. (C) 1997 American Institute of Physics.