Impact of High-k Gate Dielectrics on the Device and Circuit Performance of Nanoscale FinFETs

The impact of high-k gate dielectrics on device short-channel and circuit performance of fin field-effect transistors is studied over a wide range of dielectric permittivities k. It is observed that there is a decrease in the parasitic outer fringe capacitance C_of in addition to an increase in the internal fringe capacitance C_if with high-k dielectrics, which degrades the short-channel effects significantly. It is shown that fin width scaling is the most suitable approach to recover the degradation in the device performance due to high-k integration. Furthermore, from the circuit perspective, for the 32-nm technology generation, the presence of an optimum k for a given target subthreshold leakage current has been identified by various possible approaches such as fin width scaling, fin-doping adjustment, and gate work function engineering     

Modeling of parasitic capacitances in deep submicrometer conventional and high-K dielectric MOS transistors

In deep submicrometer MOSFETs the device performance is limited by the parasitic capacitance and resistance. Hence a circuit model is needed to treat these effects correctly. In this work, we have developed circuit models for the parasitic capacitances in conventional and high-K gate dielectric MOS transistors by taking into account the presence of source/drain contact plugs. The accuracy of the model is tested by comparing the modeled results with the results obtained from three-dimensional (3-D) Monte-Carlo simulations and two-dimensional (2-D) device simulations over a wide range of channel length and oxide thickness. The model is also used to study the dependence of parasitic capacitance on gate length, gate electrode thickness, gate oxide thickness, gate dielectric constant, and spacer width.     

Compact modeling of the effects of parasitic internal fringe capacitance on the threshold voltage of high-k gate-dielectric nanoscale SOI MOSFETs

A compact model for the effect of the parasitic internal fringe capacitance on the threshold voltage of high-k gate-dielectric silicon-on-insulator MOSFETs is developed. The authors' model includes the effects of the gate-dielectric permittivity, spacer oxide permittivity, spacer width, gate length, and the width of an MOS structure. A simple expression for the parasitic internal fringe capacitance from the bottom edge of the gate electrode is obtained and the charges induced in the source and drain regions due to this capacitance are considered. The authors demonstrate an increase in the surface potential along the channel due to these charges, resulting in a decrease in the threshold voltage with an increase in the gate-dielectric permittivity. The accuracy of the results obtained using the authors' analytical model is verified using two-dimensional device simulations.     

Impact of geometry-dependent parasitic capacitances on the performance of CNFET circuits

Intrinsic carbon-nanotube field-effect transistors (CNFETs) have been shown to have superior performance over silicon transistors. In this letter, we provide an insight how the parasitic fringe capacitance in state-of-the-art CNFET geometries impacts the overall performance of CNFET circuits. We show that unless the device (gate) width can be significantly reduced, the effective gate capacitance of CNFET will be strongly dominated by the parasitic fringe capacitances, and the superior performance of intrinsic CNFET over silicon MOSFET cannot be achieved in circuit.     

Application of the Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations in the characterization of Si MOSFET's and GaAs MODFET's

The Shubnikov-de Haas magnetoconductance oscillations were used to measure directly the gate-to-channel capacitance of Si MOSFET's and GaAs MODFET's, to detect the onset of parallel conduction in GaAs MODFET's, and to provide an approximate measure of channel length in sub-100-nm channel of Si MOSFET's. The measurements do not require knowledge of any device parameters, are immune to any gate parasitic capacitance, and are independent of source and drain series resistances. One needs to know only the magnetic field, the oscillation period (for gate-to-channel capacitance measurement), the gate voltage (for detection of the onset of parallel conduction), and the number of oscillation peaks (for the channel length characterization). Experimental results have shown that the characterization methods are accurate, and can be applied to FET's with sub-100-nm channel length.     

Current drive enhancement by using high-permittivity gate insulatorin SOI MOSFET's and its limitation

Speed enhancement effects by using a high-permittivity gate insulator in SOI MOSFETs and its limitation were investigated by a two-dimensional device simulator and circuit simulator. The SOI structure is suitable to have excellent current drive by using a high-permittivity gate insulator. Although the gate capacitance increases as a function of its dielectric constant, the current drive does not increase proportionally due to the inversion capacitance. According to the simulation results of the delay time, when the pulse waveforms driven by a CMOS inverter are propagated through 1 mm-long interconnects, the delay time significantly reduces at a dielectric constant value of around 25 (Ta₂O₅). Thus, it is worthwhile using Ta₂O₅ for gate insulator to achieve high-speed operation. Furthermore, the reduction of source parasitic series resistance is a key issue to realize the highest current drive by using a high-permittivity gate insulator in SOI MOSFET     

Impact of High-κ Offset Spacer in 65-nm Node SOI Devices

In this letter, 65-nm node silicon-on-insulator devices with high-kappa offset spacer dielectric were investigated by extensive 2-D device simulation. The result shows that the high-kappa offset spacer dielectric can effectively increase the on-state driving current I_ON and reduce the off leakage current I_OFF due to the high vertical fringing electric field effect. This fringing field can significantly improve the I_ON/I_OFF current ratio and the subthreshold swing compared with the conventional oxide spacer. Consequently, the gate-to-channel control ability is enhanced by the fringing field via the high-kappa offset spacer dielectric     

Subthreshold analysis of nanoscale FinFETs for ultra low power application using high-k materials

Fin Field Effect Transistors (FinFETs) are used for Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor applications beyond the 45?nm node of the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) roadmap because of their excellent scalability and better immunity to short channel effects. This article examines the impact of high-k dielectrics on FinFETs. The FinFET device performance is analysed for On Current, Off Current, I _on/I _off ratio, drain induced barrier lowering, electrostatic potential along the channel, electric field along the channel, transconductance, output resistance, intrinsic gain, gate capacitance and transconductance generation factor, by replacing the conventional silicon dioxide gate dielectric material, with various high dielectric constant materials. Nanosize ZrO₂ (zirconium-di-oxide) is found out to be the best alternative for SiO₂ (silicon-di-oxide). It is also observed that the integration of high-k dielectrics in the devices significantly reduces the short channel effects and leakage current. The suitability of nanoscale FinFETs is observed with the help of an inverter circuit and their gain values are calculated for circuit applications.     

Extremely low-noise performance of GaAs MESFETs with wide-headT-shaped gate

Fully ion-implanted low-noise GaAs MESFETs with a 0.11-μm Au/WSiN T-shaped gate have been successfully developed for applications in monolithic microwave and millimeter-wave integrated circuits (MMICs). In order to reduce the gate resistance, a wide Au gate head made of a first-level interconnect is employed. As the wide gate head results in parasitic capacitance, the relation between the gate head length (L_h) and the device performance is examined. The gate resistance is also precisely calculated using the cold FET technique and Mahon and Anhold's method. A current gain cutoff frequency (f_T) and a maximum stable gain (MSG) decrease monotonously as L_h increases on account of parasitic capacitance. However, the device with L_h of 1.0 μm, which has lower gate resistance than 1.0 Ω, exhibits a noise figure of 0.78 dB with an associated gain of 8.7 dB at an operating frequency of 26 GHz. The measured noise figure is comparable to that of GaAs-based HEMT's     

The effect of high fields on MOS device and circuit performance

A simple analytical model for the MOS device characteristics including the effect of high vertical and horizontal fields on channel carrier velocity is presented. Analytical expressions for the drain current, saturation drain voltage, and transconductance are developed. These expressions are used to examine the effect of scaling the channel length, the gate dielectric thickness, and the bias voltage on device characteristics. Experimental results from various geometry MOS devices are used to verify the trends predicted by the model. Using the physical understanding provided by the model, we examine the effect of device geometry scaling on circuit performance. We suggest that for gate capacitance-limited circuits one should reduce the channel length, and for parasitic capacitance-limited circuits one should reduce the gate dielectric thickness to improve circuit performance.     

Analysis of the Effects of Fringing Electric Field on FinFET Device Performance and Structural Optimization Using 3-D Simulation

In this paper, the potential impact of parasitic capacitance resulting from fringing field on FinFET device performance is studied in detail using a 3-D simulator implemented with quantum-mechanical models. It was found that fringing field from gate to source contributes significantly to FinFET performance and speed. The strength of fringing field is closely related to device features such as gate-dielectric thickness, the spacer width, fin width and pitch, as well as the gate height. For undoped fin with underlapping (nonoverlapping source/drain) gate, a thinner spacer with higher kappa value enhances the gate control of short-channel effects (SCEs) and reduces the source-to-drain leakage current. Our results also suggest that reducing the high- gate-dielectric thickness is no longer an effective approach to improve performance in small FinFET devices due to the strong fringing effect. However, the introduction of thin metal gate in a multifin device was found beneficial to device speed without compromising on current drive and SCE.     

Fully depleted CMOS/SOI device design guidelines for low-powerapplications

We report the fully depleted (FD) CMOS/SOI device design guidelines for low-power applications. Optimal technology, device and circuit parameters are derived and compared with bulk CMOS based design. The differences and similarities are summarized. Device design guidelines using devices with L=0.1 μm for FDSOI low-power applications are presented using an empirical drain saturation current model fitted to experimental data. The model is verified in the deep-submicron regime by two-dimensional (2-D) simulation. For L=0.1 μm FDSOI low-power technology, optimum speed and lower-power occurs at V_dd=3V_th and V_dd=1.5 V_th, respectively. Optimum buried oxide thickness is found to be between 300 and 400 nm for low-power applications. Optimum transistor sizing is when the driver device capacitance is 0.3 times the total load capacitance. Similarly optimum gate oxide thickness is when the driver device gate capacitance is 0.2-0.6 times the total load capacitance for performance and 0.1-0.2 for low-power, respectively. Finally optimum stage ratio for driving large loads is around 2-4 for both high-performance and low-power     

Effect of Gate Sinking on the Device Performance of the InGaP/AlGaAs/InGaAs Enhancement-Mode PHEMT

An enhancement-mode InGaP/AlGaAs/InGaAs pseudomorphic high-electron mobility transistor using platinum (Pt) as the Schottky contact metal was investigated for the first time. Following the Pt/Ti/Pt/Au gate metal deposition, the devices were thermally annealed at 325 degC for gate sinking. After the annealing, the device showed a positive threshold voltage (V_th) shift from 0.17 to 0.41 V and a very low drain leakage current from 1.56 to 0.16 muA/mm. These improvements are attributed to the Schottky barrier height increase and the decrease of the gate-to-channel distance as Pt sinks into the InGaP Schottky layer during gate-sinking process. The shift in the V_th was very uniform across a 4-in wafer and was reproducible from wafer to wafer. The device also showed excellent RF power performance after the gate-sinking process     

Empirically Verified Thermodynamic Model of Gate Capacitance and Threshold Voltage of Nanoelectronic MOS Devices With Applications to HfO2 and ZrO2 Gate Insulators

A thermodynamic variational model derived by minimizing the Helmholtz free energy of the MOS device is presented. The model incorporates an anisotropic permittivity tensor and accommodates a correction for quantum-mechanical charge confinement at the dielectric/substrate interface. The energy associated with the fringe field that is adjacent to the oxide is of critical importance in the behavior of small devices. This feature is explicitly included in our model. The model is verified using empirical and technology-computer-aided-design-generated capacitance-voltage data obtained on MOS devices with ZrO₂, HfO₂, and SiO₂ gate insulators. The model includes considerations for an interfacial low-k interface layer between the silicon substrate and the high-k dielectric. This consideration enables the estimation of the equivalent oxide thickness. The significance of sidewall capacitance effects is apparent in our modeling of the threshold voltage (V_th) for MOS capacitors with effective channel length at 30 nm and below. In these devices, a variation in high-k permittivity produces large differences in V_th. This effect is also observed in the variance of V_th, due to dopant fluctuation under the gate.     

GaAs ultra-high-frequency dividers with advanced SAINT FET's

The circuit design, fabrication, and performance of ultra-high-frequency dividers with buffer FET logic (BFL) circuits are described. Using air-bridge technology and a new, self-aligned-gate, GaAs FET process, called advanced SAINT, which avoids excess gate metal overlap on the dielectric film, 10.6-GHz operation at 258 mW is achieved. This performance is made possible by a reduction of gate and interconnection parasitic capacitance. Furthermore, the possibility of operation above 20 GHz for GaAs MESFET frequency dividers is predicted on the basis of circuit optimization and FET improvements including parasitic capacitance reduction and transconductance enhancement.     

Theoretical analysis of the layer design of inverted single-channel heterostructure transistors

In this paper the inverted heterostructure transistor is analyzed using a self-consistent model for calculation of the electron concentration and spatial distribution in the quantum well. The (In,Ga)As/(Al,Ga) As material system is considered in particular. The objective of the study is to design a transistor with a high channel electron concentration and a short gate-to-channel distance. It furthermore is desired that the channel concentration can be selected without influence from the gate-to-channel distance. Placing the gate close to the channel means that the leakage current may become unacceptably high. The analysis therefore includes an estimate of the leakage current that can be expected for each structure. It is shown that the best way of meeting the design objectives is to use a material between the channel and the gate, which consists of two layers with low- and high-bandgap materials, respectively. The structure will thus consist of a potential well with the electron accumulation occurring at the lower interface. The lower high-bandgap material furthermore should be doped as high as possible. The upper limit for the doping level in the topmost layer is determined by the maximum acceptable gate leakage as well as by gate-drain breakdown. (The latter also being partly determined by the device contact geometry.) Governed by the restrictions imposed by the application of the transistor, the model can thus be used to optimize the layer design for, e.g., minimum noise figures.     

50-nm Self-Aligned and “Standard” T-gate InP pHEMT Comparison: The Influence of Parasitics on Performance at the 50-nm Node

Continued research into the development of III-V high-electron mobility transistors (HEMTs), specifically the minimization of the device gate length, has yielded the fastest performance reported for any three terminal devices to date. In addition, more recent research has begun to focus on reducing the parasitic device elements such as access resistance and gate fringing capacitance, which become crucial for short gate length device performance maximization. Adopting a self-aligned T-gate architecture is one method used to reduce parasitic device access resistance, but at the cost of increasing parasitic gate fringing capacitances. As the device gate length is then reduced, the benefits of the self-aligned gate process come into question, as at these ultrashort-gate dimensions, the magnitude of the static fringing capacitances will have a greater impact on performance. To better understand the influence of these issues on the dc and RF performance of short gate length InP pHEMTs, the authors present a comparison between In_0.7Ga_0.3As channel 50-nm self-aligned and "standard" T-gate devices. Figures of merit for these devices include transconductance greater than 1.9 S/mm, drive current in the range 1.4 A/mm, and fT up to 490 GHz. Simulation of the parasitic capacitances associated with the self-aligned gate structure then leads a discussion concerning the realistic benefits of incorporating the self-aligned gate process into a sub-50-nm HEMT system     

A PNPN tunnel field-effect transistor with high-k gate and Iow-k fringe dielectrics

A PNPN tunnel field effect transistor(TFET) with a high-k gate dielectric and a low-k fringe dielectric is introduced.The effects of the gate and fringe electric fields on the TFET’s performance were investigated through two-dimensional simulations.The results showed that a high gate dielectric constant is preferable for enhancing the gate control over the channel,while a low fringe dielectric constant is useful to increase the band-to-band tunneling probability.The TFET device with the proposed structure has good switching characteristics,enhanced on-state current,and high process tolerance.It is suitable for low-power applications and could become a potential substitute in next-generation complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor technology.     

Double gate-MOSFET subthreshold circuit for ultralow power applications

In this paper, we propose MOSFETs that are suitable for subthreshold digital circuit operations. The MOSFET subthreshold circuit would use subthreshold leakage current as the operating current to achieve ultralow power consumption when speed is not of utmost importance. We derive the theoretical limit of delay and energy consumption in MOSFET subthreshold circuit, and show that devices that have an ideal subthreshold slope are optimal for subthreshold operations due to the smaller gate capacitance, as well as the higher current. The analysis suggests that a double gate (DG)-MOSFET is promising for subthreshold operations due to its near-ideal subthreshold slope. The results of our investigation into the optimal device characteristics for DG-MOSFET subthreshold operation show that devices with longer channel length (compared to minimum gate length) can be used for robust subthreshold operation without any loss of performance. In addition, it is shown that the source and drain structure of DG-MOSFET can be simplified for subthreshold operations since source and drain need not be raised to reduce the parasitic resistance.     

Analysis and optimization of SDOI structure to maximize the intrinsic performance of extremely scaled MOSFETs

The advantages of using elevated S/D formed on oxide shallow trench isolation are studied in detail. By careful design, the short channel short channel effects can be suppressed by the elevated source/drain (S/D) structure. In addition, the S/D region parasitic capacitance is significantly suppressed by the silicon-on-insulator (SOI)-like S/D structure. Tradeoff between series resistance and gate-to-drain Miller capacitance can be achieved by carefully selecting the gate spacer thickness. With careful optimization of device geometry, both the gate-delay and power consumption can be significantly reduced together. Design guideline and potential performance gain with the S/D-on-insulator structure is discussed.