SIMULATION OF TIME-DEPENDENT QUANTUM TRANSPORT IN-FIELD EMISSION FROM SEMICONDUCTORS - COMPLICATIONS DUE TO SCATTERING, SURFACE-DENSITY, AND TEMPERATURE

The Wigner distribution function (WDF) approach to quantum transport has been used to successfully determine the self-consistent potential, density, and current characteristics in a time-dependent simulation. The self-consistent potential is affected by the temperature- and electron density-dependent scattering operator. The behavior of WDF is shown to be compatible with the needs of a hybrid scheme in which the supply function in a transmission coefficient-based approach is supplied by the WDF, thereby allowing for a computationally tractable and robust method for estimating emission behavior from semiconductors.