VisualTCAD 1.7.3-2

2012.03.12

Improvements and bug fixes.

VisualTCAD/VisualFab/VisualParticle GUI

• New window manager
  • Group related windows together.
  • Show/hide/close individual or group of windows.
• Improved XY-plot module
  • Display legends on the graph.
  • Option to refresh plots when underlying data changes.
• Bug fixes
  • When editing plot axis scale, axis properties may get applied on wrong axis.
  • Improved handling of extremely small 2D polygons.

Gds2mesh Modeller

• Improved GDML export. Build the geometry with minimal number of faces.
• Support custom doping profile and mesh-size control in python process rules.
• Bug fixes
  • Fixed a buffer overflow that causes segfault.
  • Improved handling of extremely small 2D polygons.
  • Fixed polygon offsetting algorithm.

Genius Device Simulator

• Solvers and Models
  • Support simulation in cylindrical coordinates.
  • Support custom definition of the track radius of (high-energy) particles.
  • Support distributed contact resistance.
• General improvements
  • More efficient mesh importer for TIF data format.
  • More efficient assembly of equations at internal interfaces.
• Bug fixes
  • Output of current at metal boundaries in half-implicit simulation.
  • Optical boundary condition settings added to .cgns files.
  • Fixed linear solver setting in AC simulation.
  • Proper warning message when
    • Optical modulation envelop is incorrect.
    • Region with no material assignment.
    • Error in reading optical spectrum data.

GSeat Particle Simulator

• Use G4ScreenedNuclearRecoil model by default
• Adjust the limit to the track step length, for better resolution of the final stage of ion track.

VisualTCAD 1.7.3

2012.01.01

New feature and bug fixes.

VisualTCAD/VisualFab/VisualParticle GUI

• VisualFab is mature enough to enter the standard release.
• Ray-tracing simulation supported in GUI
  • Setting up principal axis, light source and lenses in GUI.
  • Setting up modulation, polarization, power spectrum in GUI.
  • Self-consistent device/optics simulation supported in GUI.
• Improved XY-plot module
  • More flexible ways to adding multiple curves to plot.
  • Axis settings saved to .plt files.
  • Extract and export data from plots.
• Slicing function for visualizing internal variables of 3D structures.
• General improvements
  • Use more than one processors when loading large mesh files.
  • Editing subwindow and document properties.
  • More debug/information message in log console.
  • Support Genius built with the hydra MPI process manager.
  • Expose more numerical solver options for device and circuit simulations.
• Bug fixes
  • On Windows, loading large mesh (taking >15 seconds) used to fail.
  • In VisualParticle, setting seed number of random number generator in GUI not working.
  • In Device2D Editor, changing ruler items causes mesh to be destroyed.
  • Some default settings are not effective when VisualTCAD is used for the first time.

Genius Device Simulator

• Stable half-implicit transient-mode solvers.

  • Proprietary correction algorithm, significantly reducing simulation error.
  • Half-implicit DDM1 and DDM2 solver are fully supported.
  • Optimized time-step control.

• Physics and Models

  • Removed bogus surface mobility degradation at very high E-field in Lucent mobility model.
  • New material models: ZnO, CdS and CIGS.

• General improvements:

  • Improved parallel efficiency in importing and constructing large mesh structures.
  • Expose performance profiling option to end users.
  • Preliminary support AIX operating system.
  • Upgrade to MPICH2 1.4 and MVAPICH2 1.7, switch to Hydra process manager.
  • Output gate current when applicable.
  • More warning messages when mesh quality is poor.
  • More flexible syntax for input file, list values are supported.
  • More flexible doping profile placement commands in input file.

• Bug fixes:

  • Various import failures of mesh in DF-ISE format.
  • Buffer of some material parameters not updated after PMI commands.

GSeat Particle Simulator

• Recover bias factor of cross-section (for neutron/proton) after reaction occurs.
• Switch to a better random number generation and seeding.
• Filtering by material regions in output file.
• More particle and material information stored in output files.

Gds2mesh Modeller

• More efficient export of model in GDML format, producing smaller-size output file.
• Support custom-defined doping profile defined in Python script.
• Support path objects in GDSII files.
• GUI allows user to select top-level structures in GDSII files.
• Improved efficiency in constructing 3D objects.
• Fix a bug in handling 3D objects with complex shape and positions.
• Fix a bug in doping profile calculation.

VisualTCAD 1.7.2-5

2011.09.29

New feature and bug fixes.

VisualParticle (New Product)

• GSeat: MonteCarlo Particle Simulator based on GEANT4, for simulation of single-event effects.
• VisualParticle: Graphical Interface to GSeat.

Genius Device Simulator

• New features:
  • Experimental support for half-implicit transient-mode solvers, offers 5x faster simulation speed.
  • Ray-tracing optics that supports lens and mirrors.
• Improvements and bug fixes:
  • Solvers and Algorithms
    • Better cell truncation at boundary element, improved convergence.
    • Fine-tuned ASM linear pre-conditioners, improved convergence.
    • Improved curve-tracing algorithms for better detection of snap-back points.
    • Support Interconnect in circuit/device mixed-mode simulation.
    • Faster searching algorithm for tunneling partner node at semiconductor/insulator boundaries.
    • More accurate integration algorithm for transient simulation with optical- or particle-induced carrier generation.
  • Physical models
    • Free-carrier optical absorption is supported.
    • Fixed a parameter in Philips mobility model.
    • Fixed materials parameter of Ti and Tungsten.
  • General
    • Extended syntax: list values are supported in options.
    • Updated data format for importing energy deposition profile from GSeat particle simulation.
    • Calculates and outputs capacitances of all electrodes in AC simulation.
    • Import mesh file of the original Suprem4GS data format.

VisualTCAD

• Defining interconnects in simulation control.
• Scripting support in visualization module.
• Warning and information messages displayed in log console window.
• Fix a bug in constant current sources.

Gds2Mesh

• Added parameters to control the density of doping profile rays.
• Fixed several bugs related to regions with holes.
• Fixed a bug in GDML mesh export.
• Calculate doping concentration only in semiconductor regions.
• Support Box object in GDSII mask file.
• Stylized preview of mask graphs.

VisualTCAD 1.7.2-3

2011.06.29

New feature and bug fixes.

Genius Device Simulator

• Adaptive pseudo-time steps, allows pseudo-time analysis to converge in fewer steps.
• Improves BDF2 time-discretization, prevents inaccurate time-derivative estimation when carrier concentration is rapidly decreasing.
• Improves efficiency of importing radiation particle trajectory.
• More robust implementation of ray-element intersection calculation in ray-tracing optics.
• Fixes importing of boundary condition in CGNS.

VisualTCAD

• Editing user-defined circuit symbols and components.
• Define mesh-size-control boxes, in addition to control lines.

VisualTCAD 1.7.2

2011.05.13

New features.

Genius Device Simulator

• Proper truncation of triangle and tetrahedron with obtuse angles.
• Small-signal AC analysis for devices with resistive metal regions.
• Pseudo-time analysis mode for device simulation. Devices with floating regions, or other difficult-to-converge problems, have much improved convergence property with pseudo-time method. Iterative linear solvers can be used instead of direct solvers, drastically saving memory.
• Re-order circuit variables in vector and Jacobian matrix, improves convergence.
• Gmin-ramping and Source-ramping in device/circuit mixed simulation.
• Updated build system on Linux, with updated and optimized numerical libraries. Requires RHEL5 and above, support for RHEL4.x stopped.
• Fixed bugs related to distributed mesh.

VisualTCAD

• More complete support for simulation control options, including Gmin-ramping/Source-ramping in device/circuit mixed simulation.
• Create and edit custom circuit component libraries.
• Edit mesh-size-constraint items in device drawings.
• Improvements to the setting profile manager.

Gds2Mesh

• More mask generation options for SRAM.
• Fixed well contact doping in SRAM example.

VisualTCAD 1.7.1-4

2011.03.19

Bug fixes.

Genius Device Simulator

• Fix crash under Windows due to read violation.
• Update 3D mesh refine example (PN_Diode/pn_refine.inp).

Gds2Mesh

• Fix excessive message box when job finishes.

VisualTCAD 1.7.1-3

2011.02.28

Bug fixes.

Genius Device Simulator

• Option to adjust voltage reference used in potential damping.
• Improve parsing of large numbers in input files.

Gds2Mesh

• Allow multiple and intersecting fill-objects.

VisualTCAD

• Improve formatting of large numbers.

VisualTCAD 1.7.1-2

2011.02.28

Bug fixes with some new features.

Genius Device Simulator

• Distributed mesh storage, significant memory usage reduction in parallel simulation.
• Added GaN and AlGaN material models.
• Added HEMT example.
• Fix current direction calculation at heterojunction.

Gds2Mesh

• Fix typo in GUI that breaks polygon item in simple masks.

VisualTCAD 1.7.1-1

2011.02.14

Bug fixes with some new features.

Genius Device Simulator

• Waveform modulated (in time) by an envelope for light and irradiation sources.
• Adjust linear solver parameters for better stability
• Effective surface E-field for mobility calculation is turned-on by default.
• Exporting mesh and solution in DF-ISE format.
• Fix Jacobian matrix for some displacement current components.
• Fix error in importing 2D elements in DF-ISE file.

Gds2Mesh

• A simple GUI.
• Updated Python interface and documentation.

VisualTCAD GUI

• minor fixes

VisualTCAD 1.7.1

2011.01.06

New Features and enhancements.

Genius Device Simulator

• Added support for Windows 64bit platform.
• Added support for incomplete-ionization of dopant impurities.
• More efficient data structure to store solution data.
• Overhaul of the storage of user-defined solution variables.
• Load material optical parameters from data file.
• Improve support for quadrilateral mesh element with high aspect ratio.
• Fix bug in calculation of carrier quasi-Fermi-level when Bandgap narrowing is present.

Gds2Mesh

• Fix bug in doping profiles calculation.

VisualTCAD GUI

• Improves the editing of configuration profiles.
• Improves the mesh quality near region boundary.

VisualTCAD 1.7.0-2

2010.11.25

Enhancements and Bug-fixes to the 1.7.0-1 release.

Genius Device Simulator

• Added support for lattice heating and energy-balance solvers in resistive metal regions.
• Turn off experimental triangle truncation algorithm, which proves to causes instability.
• Fix ray-tracing crash when the intensity of one polarization vanishes at interface.
• Speed optimization at boundaries.
• Overhaul of the storage of solution variables.

Gds2Mesh

• Fix bug in placing doping profiles using a mask with holes.

VisualTCAD GUI

• Allow users to edit and switch configuration profiles.
• Improves to import of doping profile in Device2D.
• Synchronize selection between column view and the main spreadsheet.

VisualTCAD 1.6.3-1

2010.11.25

Maintenance release for the 1.6.x branch.

Genius Device Simulator

• Fix ray-tracing crash when the intensity of one polarization vanishes at interface

VisualTCAD GUI

• Incorporate new GUI features of 1.7.0-2.

VisualTCAD 1.6.3

2010.10.31

Maintenance release for the 1.6.x branch.

Genius Device Simulator

• Fix boundary width when importing mesh file.
• Improve stability of Sharfetter-Gummel discretization.

VisualTCAD GUI

• Incorporate new GUI features of 1.7.0-1 and 1.7.0.

VisualTCAD 1.7.0-1

2010.10.31

Bug-fixes to the 1.7.0 release.

Genius Device Simulator

• Fix boundary width when importing mesh file.
• Improve stability of Sharfetter-Gummel discretization.
• Fix nearest boundary node searching.
• Option to limit the maximum voltage ramp rate in transient simulation.
• Save boundary label in CGNS even if it has no mesh node (yet).

VisualTCAD GUI

• Fix python scripting in Win32.
• Fix memory leaks in XY plot.

Gds2Mesh

• Improve efficiency in calculating doping profiles.

VisualTCAD 1.7.0

2010.10.18

The 1.7.0 release contains many new features in the Genius simulator and the VisualTCAD GUI. A new product GDS2Mesh is released, and included in this version.

Genius Device Simulator

• Support realistic metal regions that is resistive. Resistive metal regions is allowed to be in contact with each other, circuit cells are constructed this way.
• Major speed-up in simulating large structures. Loading a 100K node structure is almost 10 times faster, the matrix assembly step is almost 2x faster. The overall speed up for SRAM simulation is ~1.5x.
• Experimental support for gate current (tunneling and hot carrier).
• Support TIF3D mesh data format.

VisualTCAD GUI

New features in VisualTCAD includes:

• Python scripting for automating common tasks in the following modules:
  • 2D device drawing,
  • spreadsheet,
  • XY plot.
• Saving/loading XY plots to disk.
• Predefined palette for curve style/color in XY plots.
• In 2D device drawing, import 1D/2D doping profile from file.
• Support TIF3D mesh data format.
• Visulization module:
  • Probe multiple variables in device.
  • Select/deselect multiple regions to filter

GDS2Mesh (New Product)

Construct 3D TCAD model directly from GDSII mask layout. (included in the Linux package, but licensed separately).

VisualTCAD 1.6.2-2

2010.08.30

Bug fixes:

• Device 2D: correctly handle doping profile with zero height.

VisualTCAD 1.6.2-1

2010.08.11

Bug fixes:

• Mixed simulation: support numerical device with 32 pin (up from 7).
• Improve pseudo color plot in visualization module.

VisualTCAD 1.6.2

2010.08.02

VisualTCAD GUI

• 2D Device Drawing :
  • Added "Ruler" tool, for measuring sizes of objects
  • Support setting background doping concentration and mole fraction of material ares.
  • Support placing mole fraction profile in device structure
  • Support "Opaque" rendering mode, which is faster over remote display.
  • Improves material selector
  • Improves mesh quality
• Device Simulation:
  • Allow boundaries and contacts to have different width in the Z-direction.
  • Fix bugs related to impact ionization and band-to-band tunneling model parameters.
• X-Y Plot:
  • Correctly handle negative values in log-scale plots
• Visualization:
  • Support setting values of contour line

Genius Device Simulator

• Performance optimizations
• Bug fixes in heterojunction current, band-to-band tunneling models
• Support AlN material

VisualTCAD 1.6.1

2010.05.24

Genius Device Simulator

• Fixes an error in calculating current at heterojunction
• Improves convergence of AC small signal simulation
• Fixes random crashes after simulation is completed
• Add support for electron bean injection
• Fixes minor problems in exporting CGNS and VTK
• Report syntax error to log file, in addition to console
• Fixes optical parameters of some III-V and II-VI materials
• Fixes stdout/stderr buffer problem when using pythonw on windows.

VisualTCAD GUI

• Support dongle license keys
• Provides GUI in simplified Chinese language
• Fixes memory leak when requesting log
• Fixes excessive CPU usage when running long simulations
• Improves user-interaction in the object list in device drawing tools
• Check for duplicate region/profile names in device drawing
• Improves the ramp-up sequence of device simulation
• Fixes error in calculating simulation progress
• Fixes crash when using VTK window under X-over-TCP platform

VisualTCAD 1.6.0

2010.04.04

Public release with numerous bug fixes.

VisualTCAD 1.6.0-beta

2010.02.10

Test version released to distributors and selected customers.