Open Access

ARTICLE

A fast Monte-Carlo Solver for Phonon Transport in Nanostructured Semiconductors

Mei-Jiau Huang¹, Tung-Chun Tsai¹, Liang-Chun Liu^1,2, Ming-shan Jeng², Chang-Chung Yang²

1 Mechanical Engineering Department, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
2 Energy & Environment Laboratories, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Hsinchu, Taiwan

Computer Modeling in Engineering & Sciences 2009, 42(2), 107-130. https://doi.org/10.3970/cmes.2009.042.107

Abstract

We develop a Monte-Carlo simulator for phonon transport in nanostructured semiconductors, which solves the phonon Boltzmann transport equation under the gray medium approximation. Proper physical models for the phonon transmission/reflection at an interface between two different materials and proper numerical boundary conditions are designed and implemented carefully. Most of all, we take advantage of geometric symmetry that exists in a system to reduce the computational amount. The validity and accuracy of the proposed MC solver was successfully verified via a 1D transient conduction problem and the cross-plane (1D) and in-plane (2D) phonon transport problems associated with Si/Ge superlattice thin films.

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Keywords

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