BSIM (Berkeley Short-channel IGFET Model) refers to a family of

MOSFET upright=1.3, Two power MOSFETs in amperes">A in the ''on'' state, dissipating up to about 100 watt">W and controlling a load of over 2000 W. A matchstick is pictured for scale. In electronics, the metal–oxide–semiconductor field- ...

transistor models for integrated circuit design. It also refers to the BSIM group located in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences (EECS) at the University of California, Berkeley, that develops these models. Accurate

transistor models Transistors are simple devices with complicated behavior. In order to ensure the reliable operation of circuits employing transistors, it is necessary to scientifically model the physical phenomena observed in their operation using transistor mod ...

are needed for

electronic circuit simulation Electronic circuit simulation uses mathematical models to replicate the behavior of an actual electronic device or circuit. Simulation software allows for the modeling of circuit operation and is an invaluable analysis tool. Due to its highly ac ...

, which in turn is needed for

integrated circuit design Integrated circuit design, semiconductor design, chip design or IC design, is a sub-field of electronics engineering, encompassing the particular Boolean logic, logic and circuit design techniques required to design integrated circuits (ICs). A ...

. As the devices become smaller in each process generation (see

Moore's law Moore's law is the observation that the Transistor count, number of transistors in an integrated circuit (IC) doubles about every two years. Moore's law is an observation and Forecasting, projection of a historical trend. Rather than a law of ...

), new models are needed to accurately reflect the transistor's behavior. Commercial and industrial analog simulators (such as

SPICE In the culinary arts, a spice is any seed, fruit, root, Bark (botany), bark, or other plant substance in a form primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of pl ...

) have added many other device models as technology advanced and earlier models became inaccurate. To attempt standardization of these models so that a set of model parameters may be used in different simulators, an industry working group was formed, the Compact Model Coalition, to choose, maintain, and promote the use of standard models. BSIM models, developed at

UC Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after the Anglo-Irish philosopher George Berkele ...

, are one of these standards. Other models supported by the council ar
PSP
an
MEXTRAM
.

BSIM models

The transistor models developed and currently maintained by

are: * BSIM-CMG (Common Multi-Gate), * BSIM-IMG (Independent Multi-Gate), the only model published without source-code (whose publication is foreseen for July 13, 2021) * BSIM-SOI (Silicon-on-Insulator), * BSIM-BULK, formerly BSIM6, * BSIM4, used for 0.13 μm to 20 nm nodes, * BSIM3,{{cite web, url=http://bsim.berkeley.edu/models/bsim4/bsim3/, title=BSIM3 Model, last=, first=, date=, website=, publisher=BSIM Group, UC Berkeley, access-date= a predecessor of BSIM4. Original versions of BSIM models were written in the

C programming language C (''pronounced'' '' – like the letter c'') is a general-purpose programming language. It was created in the 1970s by Dennis Ritchie and remains very widely used and influential. By design, C's features cleanly reflect the capabilities of ...

. All newer versions of the models, except BSIM4 and BSIM3, support only Verilog-A. For example, the last version of BSIM-SOI which supported C was the version BSIM-SOIv4.4.

BSIM models

References

See also