III-V and 2D Devices: from MOSFETs to Steep-Slope Transistors

With silicon CMOS technology approaching the scaling limit, alternating channel materials and novel device structures have been extensively studied and attracted a lot of attention in solid-state device research. In this dissertation, solid-state electron devices for post-Si CMOS applications are explored including both new materials such as III-V and 2D materials and new device structures such as tunneling field-effect transistors and negative capacitance field-effect transistors. Multiple critical challenges in applying such new materials and new device structures are addressed and the key achievements in this dissertation are summarized as follows: 1) Development of fabrication process technology for ultra-scaled planar and 3D InGaAs MOSFETs. 2) Interface passivation by forming gas anneal on InGaAs gate-all-around MOSFETs. 3) Characterization methods for ultra-scaled MOSFETs, including a correction to subthreshold method and low frequency noise characterization in short channel devices. 4) Development of short channel InGaAs planar and 3D gate-allaround tunneling field-effect transistors. 5) Negative capacitance field-effect transistors with hysteresis-free and bi-directional sub-thermionic subthreshold slope and the integration with various channel materials such as InGaAs and MoS2

Caractérisation électrique et modélisation des transistors FDSOI sub-22nm

Silicon on insulator (SOI) transistors are among the best candidates for sub-22nm technology nodes. At this scale, the devices integrate extremely thin buried oxide layers (BOX) and body. They also integrate advanced high-k dielectric / metal gate stacks and strain engineering is used to improve transport properties with, for instance, the use of SiGe alloys in the channel of p-type MOS transistors. The optimization of such a technology requires precise and non-destructive experimental techniques able to provide information about the quality of electron transport and interface quality, as well as about the real values of physical parameters (dimensions and doping level) at the end of the process. Techniques for parameter extraction from electrical characteristics have been developed over time. The aim of this thesis work is to reconsider these methods and to further develop them to account for the extremely small dimensions used for sub-22nm SOI generations. The work is based on extended characterization and modelling in support. Among the original results obtained during this thesis, special notice should be put on the adaptation of the complete split CV method which is now able to extract the characteristic parameters for the entire stack, from the substrate and its doping level to the gate stack, as well as an extremely detailed analysis of electron transport based on low temperature characterization in back-gate electrostatic coupling conditions or the exploitation of channel magnetoresistance from the linear regime of operation to saturation. Finally, a detailed analysis of low-frequency noise closes this study.Parmi les architectures candidates pour les générations sub-22nm figurent les transistors sur silicium sur isolant (SOI). A cette échelle, les composants doivent intégrer des films isolants enterrés (BOX) et des canaux de conduction (Body) ultra-minces. A ceci s'ajoute l'utilisation d'empilements de grille avancés (diélectriques à haute permittivité / métal de grille) et une ingénierie de la contrainte mécanique avec l'utilisation d'alliages SiGe pour le canal des transistors de type P. La mise au point d'une telle technologie demande qu'on soit capable d'extraire de façon non destructive et avec précision la qualité du transport électronique et des interfaces, ainsi que les valeurs des paramètres physiques (dimensions et dopages), qui sont obtenues effectivement en fin de fabrication. Des techniques d'extraction de paramètres ont été développées au cours du temps. L'objectif de cette thèse est de reconsidérer et de faire évoluer ces techniques pour les adapter aux épaisseurs extrêmement réduites des composants étudiés. Elle combine mesures approfondies et modélisation en support. Parmi les résultats originaux obtenus au cours de cette thèse, citons notamment l'adaptation de la méthode split CV complète qui permet désormais d'extraire les paramètres caractérisant l'ensemble de l'empilement SOI, depuis le substrat et son dopage jusqu'à la grille, ainsi qu'une analyse extrêmement détaillée du transport grâce à des mesures en régime de couplage grille arrière à température variable ou l'exploitation de la magnétorésistance de canal depuis le régime linéaire jusqu'en saturation. Le mémoire se termine par une analyse détaillée du bruit basse fréquence

Etude des transistors MOSFET à barrière Schottky, à canal Silicium et Germanium sur couches minces

Until the early 2000’s Dennard’s scaling rules at the transistor level have enabled to achieve a performance gain while still preserving the basic structure of the MOSFET building block from one generation to the next. However, this conservative approach has already reached its limits as shown by the introduction of channel stressors for the sub-130 nm technological nodes, and later high-k/metal gate stacks for the sub-65 nm nodes. Despite the introduction of high-k gate dielectrics, constraints in terms of gate leakage and reliability have been delaying the diminution of the equivalent oxide thickness (EOT). Concurrently, lowering the supply voltage (VDD) has become a critical necessity to reduce both the active and passive power density in integrated circuits. Hence the challenge: how to keep decreasing both gate length and supply voltage faster than the EOT without losing in terms of ON-state/OFF-state performance trade-off? Several solutions can be proposed aiming at solving this conundrum for nanoscale transistors, with architectures in rupture with the plain old Silicon-based MOSFET with doped Source and Drain invented in 1960. One approach consists in achieving an ION increase while keeping IOFF (and Vth) mostly unchanged. Specifically, two options are considered in detail in this manuscript through a review of their respective historical motivations, state-of-the-art results as well as remaining fundamental (and technological) challenges: i/ the reduction of the extrinsic parasitic resistance through the implementation of metallic Source and Drain (Schottky Barrier FET architecture); ii/ the reduction of the intrinsic channel resistance through the implementation of Germanium-based mobility boosters (Ge CMOS, compressively-strained SiGe channels, n-sSi/p-sSiGe Dual Channel co-integration). In particular, we study the case of thin films on insulator (SOI, SiGeOI, GeOI substrates), a choice justified by: the preservation of the electrostatic integrity for the targeted sub-22nm nodes; the limitation of ambipolar leakage in SBFETs; the limitation of junction leakage in (low-bandgap) Ge-based FETs. Finally, we show why, and under which conditions the association of the SBFET architecture with a Ge-based channel could be potentially advantageous with respect to conventional Si CMOS.Jusqu’au début des années 2000, les règles de scaling de Dennard ont permis de réaliser des gains en performance tout en conservant la structure de la brique de base transistor d’une génération technologique à la suivante. Cependant, cette approche conservatrice a d’ores et déjà atteint ses limites, comme en témoigne l’introduction de la contrainte mécanique pour les générations sub-130nm, et les empilements de grille métal/high-k pour les nœuds sub-65nm. Malgré l’introduction de diélectriques à forte permittivité, des limites en termes de courants de fuite de grille et de fiabilité ont ralenti la diminution de l’épaisseur équivalente d’oxyde (EOT). De façon concommitante, la diminution de la tension d’alimentation (VDD) est devenue une priorité afin de réduire la densité de puissance dissipée dans les circuits intégrés. D’où le défi actuel: comment continuer de réduire à la fois la longueur de grille et la tension d’alimentation plus rapidement que l’EOT sans pour autant dégrader le rapport de performances aux états passant et bloqué (ON et OFF) ? Diverses solutions peuvent être proposées, passant par des architectures s’éloignant du MOSFET conventionnel à canal Si avec source et drain dopés tel que défini en 1960. Une approche consiste en réaliser une augmentation du courant passant (ION) tout en laissant le courant à l’état bloqué (IOFF) et la tension de seuil (Vth) inchangés. Concrètement, deux options sont considérées en détail dans ce manuscrit à travers une revue de leurs motivations historiques respectives, les résultats de l’état de l’art ainsi que les obstacles (fondamentaux et technologiques) à leur mise en œuvre : i/ la réduction de la résistance parasite extrinsèque par l’introduction de source et drain métalliques (architecture transistor à barrière Schottky) ; ii/ la réduction de la résistance de canal intrinsèque par l’introduction de matériaux à haute mobilité à base de Germanium (CMOS Ge, canaux SiGe en contrainte compressive, co-intégration Dual Channel n-sSi/p-sSiGe). En particulier, nous étudions le cas de couches minces sur isolant (substrats SOI, SiGeOI, GeOI), un choix motivé par: la préservation de l’intégrité électrostatique pour les nœuds technologiques sub-22nm; la limitation du courant de fuite ambipolaire dans les SBFETs; la limitation du courant de fuites de jonctions dans les MOSFETs à base de Ge (qui est un matériau à faible bandgap). Enfin, nous montrons pourquoi et dans quelles conditions l’association d’une architecture SBFET et d’un canal à base de Germanium peut être avantageuse vis-à-vis du CMOS Silicium conventionnel

Caractérisation, mécanismes et applications mémoire des transistors avancés sur SOI

Ce travail présente les principaux résultats obtenus avec une large gamme de dispositifs SOI avancés, candidats très prometteurs pour les futurs générations de transistors MOSFETs. Leurs propriétés électriques ont été analysées par des mesures systématiques, agrémentées par des modèles analytiques et/ou des simulations numériques. Nous avons également proposé une utilisation originale de dispositifs FinFETs fabriqués sur ONO enterré en fonctionnalisant le ONO à des fins d'application mémoire non volatile, volatile et unifiées. Après une introduction sur l'état de l'art des dispositifs avancés en technologie SOI, le deuxième chapitre a été consacré à la caractérisation détaillée des propriétés de dispositifs SOI planaires ultra- mince (épaisseur en dessous de 7 nm) et multi-grille. Nous avons montré l excellent contrôle électrostatique par la grille dans les transistors très courts ainsi que des effets intéressants de transport et de couplage. Une approche similaire a été utilisée pour étudier et comparer des dispositifs FinFETs à double grille et triple grille. Nous avons démontré que la configuration FinFET double grille améliore le couplage avec la grille arrière, phénomène important pour des applications à tension de seuil multiple. Nous avons proposé des modèles originaux expliquant l'effet de couplage 3D et le comportement de la mobilité dans des TFTs nanocristallin ZnO. Nos résultats ont souligné les similitudes et les différences entre les transistors SOI et à base de ZnO. Des mesures à basse température et de nouvelles méthodes d'extraction ont permis d'établir que la mobilité dans le ZnO et la qualité de l'interface ZnO/SiO2 sont remarquables. Cet état de fait ouvre des perspectives intéressantes pour l'utilisation de ce type de matériaux aux applications innovantes de l'électronique flexible. Dans le troisième chapitre, nous nous sommes concentrés sur le comportement de la mobilité dans les dispositifs SOI planaires et FinFET en effectuant des mesures de magnétorésistance à basse température. Nous avons mis en évidence expérimentalement un comportement de mobilité inhabituel (multi-branche) obtenu lorsque deux ou plusieurs canaux coexistent et interagissent. Un autre résultat original concerne l existence et l interprétation de la magnétorésistance géométrique dans les FinFETs.L'utilisation de FinFETs fabriqués sur ONO enterré en tant que mémoire non volatile flash a été proposée dans le quatrième chapitre. Deux mécanismes d'injection de charge ont été étudiés systématiquement. En plus de la démonstration de la pertinence de ce type mémoire en termes de performances (rétention, marge de détection), nous avons mis en évidence un comportement inattendu : l amélioration de la marge de détection pour des dispositifs à canaux courts. Notre concept innovant de FinFlash sur ONO enterré présente plusieurs avantages: (i) opération double-bit et (ii) séparation de la grille de stockage et de l'interface de lecture augmentant la fiabilité et autorisant une miniaturisation plus poussée que des Finflash conventionnels avec grille ONO.Dans le dernier chapitre, nous avons exploré le concept de mémoire unifiée, en combinant les opérations non volatiles et 1T-DRAM par le biais des FinFETs sur ONO enterré. Comme escompté pour les mémoires dites unifiées, le courant transitoire en mode 1T-DRAM dépend des charges non volatiles stockées dans le ONO. D'autre part, nous avons montré que les charges piégées dans le nitrure ne sont pas perturbées par les opérations de programmation et lecture de la 1T-DRAM. Les performances de cette mémoire unifiée multi-bits sont prometteuses et pourront être considérablement améliorées par optimisation technologique de ce dispositif.The evolution of electronic systems and portable devices requires innovation in both circuit design and transistor architecture. During last fifty years, the main issue in MOS transistor has been the gate length scaling down. The reduction of power consumption together with the co-integration of different functions is a more recent avenue. In bulk-Si planar technology, device shrinking seems to arrive at the end due to the multiplication of parasitic effects. The relay has been taken by novel SOI-like device architectures. In this perspective, this manuscript presents the main achievements of our work obtained with a variety of advanced fully depleted SOI MOSFETs, which are very promising candidates for next generation MOSFETs. Their electrical properties have been analyzed by systematic measurements and clarified by analytical models and/or simulations. Ultimately, appropriate applications have been proposed based on their beneficial features.In the first chapter, we briefly addressed the short-channel effects and the diverse technologies to improve device performance. The second chapter was dedicated to the detailed characterization and interesting properties of SOI devices. We have demonstrated excellent gate control and high performance in ultra-thin FD SOI MOSFET. The SCEs are efficiently suppressed by decreasing the body thickness below 7 nm. We have investigated the transport and electrostatic properties as well as the coupling mechanisms. The strong impact of body thickness and temperature range has been outlined. A similar approach was used to investigate and compare vertical double-gate and triple-gate FinFETs. DG FinFETs show enhanced coupling to back-gate bias which is applicable and suitable for dynamic threshold voltage tuning. We have proposed original models explaining the 3D coupling effect in FinFETs and the mobility behavior in ZnO TFTs. Our results pointed on the similarities and differences in SOI and ZnO transistors. According to our low-temperature measurements and new promoted extraction methods, the mobility in ZnO and the quality of ZnO/SiO2 interface are respectable, enabling innovating applications in flexible, transparent and power electronics. In the third chapter, we focused on the mobility behavior in planar SOI and FinFET devices by performing low-temperature magnetoresistance measurements. Unusual mobility curve with multi-branch aspect were obtained when two or more channels coexist and interplay. Another original result in the existence of the geometrical magnetoresistance in triple-gate and even double-gate FinFETs.The operation of a flash memory in FinFETs with ONO buried layer was explored in the forth chapter. Two charge injection mechanisms were proposed and systematically investigated. We have discussed the role of device geometry and temperature. Our novel ONO FinFlash concept has several distinct advantages: double-bit operation, separation of storage medium and reading interface, reliability and scalability. In the final chapter, we explored the avenue of unified memory, by combining nonvolatile and 1T-DRAM operations in a single transistor. The key result is that the transient current, relevant for 1T-DRAM operation, depends on the nonvolatile charges stored in the nitride buried layer. On the other hand, the trapped charges are not disturbed by the 1T-DRAM operation. Our experimental data offers the proof-of-concept for such advanced memory. The performance of the unified/multi-bit memory is already decent but will greatly improve in the coming years by processing dedicated devices.SAVOIE-SCD - Bib.électronique (730659901) / SudocGRENOBLE1/INP-Bib.électronique (384210012) / SudocGRENOBLE2/3-Bib.électronique (384219901) / SudocSudocFranceF

Modelling and simulation study of NMOS Si nanowire transistors

Nanowire transistors (NWTs) represent a potential alternative to Silicon FinFET technology in the 5nm CMOS technology generation and beyond. Their gate length can be scaled beyond the limitations of FinFET gate length scaling to maintain superior off-state leakage current and performance thanks to better electrostatic control through the semiconductor nanowire channels by gate-all-around (GAA) architecture. Furthermore, it is possible to stack nanowires to enhance the drive current per footprint. Based on these considerations, vertically-stacked lateral NWTs have been included in the latest edition of the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) to allow for further performance enhancement and gate pitch scaling, which are key criteria of merit for the new CMOS technology generation. However, electrostatic confinement and the transport behaviour in these devices are more complex, especially in or beyond the 5nm CMOS technology generation. At the heart of this thesis is the model-based research of aggressively-scaled NWTs suitable for implementation in or beyond the 5nm CMOS technology generation, including their physical and operational limitations and intrinsic parameter fluctuations. The Ensemble Monte Carlo approach with Poisson-Schrödinger (PS) quantum corrections was adopted for the purpose of predictive performance evaluation of NWTs. The ratio of the major to the minor ellipsoidal cross-section axis (cross-sectional aspect ratio - AR) has been identified as a significant contributing factor in device performance. Until now, semiconductor industry players have carried out experimental research on NWTs with two different cross-sections: circular cylinder (or elliptical) NWTs and nanosheet (or nanoslab) NWTs. Each version has its own benefits and drawbacks; however, the key difference between these two versions is the cross-sectional AR. Several critical design questions, including the optimal NWT cross-sectional aspect ratio, remain unanswered. To answer these questions, the AR of a GAA NWT has been investigated in detail in this research maintaining the cross-sectional area constant. Signatures of isotropic charge distributions within Si NWTs were observed, exhibiting the same attributes as the golden ratio (Phi), the significance of which is well-known in the fields of art and architecture. To address the gap in the existing literature, which largely explores NWT scaling using single-channel simulation, thorough simulations of multiple channels vertically-stacked NWTs have been carried out with different cross-sectional shapes and channel lengths. Contact resistance, non-equilibrium transport and quantum confinement effects have been taken into account during the simulations in order to realistically access performance and scalability. Finally, the individual and combined effects of key statistical variability (SV) sources on threshold voltage (VT), subthreshold slope (SS), ON-current (Ion) and drain-induced barrier lowering (DIBL) have been simulated and discussed. The results indicate that the variability of NWTs is impacted by device architecture and dimensions, with a significant reduction in SV found in NWTs with optimal aspect ratios. Furthermore, a reduction in the variability of the threshold voltage has been observed in vertically-stacked NWTs due to the cancelling-out of variability in double and triple lateral channel NWTs

Transport enhancement techniques for nanoscale MOSFETs

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2008.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Includes bibliographical references (p. 155-183).Over the past two decades, intrinsic MOSFET delay has been scaled commensurate with the scaling of the dimensions. To extend this historical trend in the future, careful analysis of what determines the transistor performance is required. In this work, a new delay metric is first introduced that better captures the interplay of the main technology parameters, and employed to study the historical trends of the performance scaling and to quantify the requirements for the continuous increase of the performance in the future. It is shown that the carrier velocity in the channel has been the main driver for the improved transistor performance with scaling. A roadmapping exercise is presented and it is shown that new channel materials are needed to lever carrier velocity beyond what is achieved with uniaxially strained silicon, along with dramatic reduction in the device parasitics. Such innovations are needed as early as the 32-nm node to avoid the otherwise counter-scaling of the performance. The prospects and limitations of various approaches that are being pursued to increase the carrier velocity and thereby the transistor performance are then explored. After introducing the basics of the transport in nanoscale MOSFETs, the impact of channel material and strain configuration on electron and hole transport are examined. Uniaixal tensile strain in silicon is shown to be very promising to enhance electron transport as long as higher strain levels can be exerted on the device. Calculations and analysis in this work demonstrate that in uniaxially strained silicon, virtual source velocity depends more strongly on the mobility than previously believed and the modulation of the effective mass under uniaxial strain is responsible for this string dependence.(cont) While III-V semiconductors are seriously limited by their small quantization effective mass, which limits the available inversion charge at a given voltage overdrive, germanium is attractive as it has enhanced transport properties for both electrons and holes. However, to avoid mobility degradation due to carrier confinement as well as L - interband scattering, and to achieve higher ballistic velocity, (111) wafer orientation should be used for Ge NFETs. Further analysis in this work demonstrate that with uniaixally strained Si, hole 3 ballistic velocity enhancement is limited to about 2x, despite the fact that mobility enhancement of about 4x has been demonstrated. Hence, further increase of the strain level does not seem to provide major increase in the device performance. It is also shown that relaxed germanium only marginally improves hole velocity despite the fact that mobility is significantly higher than silicon. Biaxial compressive strain in Ge, although relatively simple to apply, offers only 2x velocity enhancement over relaxed silicon. Only with uniaxial compressive strain, is germanium able to provide significantly higher velocities compared to state-of-the-art silicon MOSFETs. Most recently, germanium has manifested itself as an alternative channel material because of its superior electron and hole mobility compared to silicon. Functional MOS transistors with relatively good electrical characteristics have been demonstrated by several groups on bulk and strained Ge. However, carrier mobility in these devices is still far behind what is theoretically expected from germanium. Very high density of the interface states, especially close to the conduction band is believed to be responsible for poor electrical characteristics of Ge MOSFETs. Nevertheless, a through investigation of the transport in Ge-channel MOSFETs and the correlation between the mobility and trap density has not been undertaken in the past.(cont) Pulsed I -V and Q-V measurement are performed to characterize near intrinsic transport properties in Ge-channel MOSFETs. Pulsed measurements show that the actual carrier mobility is at least twice what is inferred from DC measurements for Ge NFETs. With phosphorus implantation at the Ge-dielectric interface the difference between DC and pulsed measurements is reduced to about 20%, despite the fact that effects of charge trapping are still visible in these devices. To better understand the dependence of carrier transport on charge trapping, a method to directly measure the inversion charge density by integrating the S/D current is proposed. The density of trapped charges is measured as the difference between the inversion charge density at the beginning and end of pulses applied to the gate. Analysis of temporal variation of trapped charge density reveals that two regimes of fast and slow charge trapping are present. Both mechanisms show a logarithmic dependence on the pulse width, as observed in earlier literature charge-pumping studies of Si MOSFETs with high- dielectrics. The correlation between mobility and density of trapped charges is studied and it is shown that the mobility depends only on the density of fast traps. To our knowledge, this is the first investigation in which the impact of the fast and slow traps on the mobility has been separated. Extrapolation of the mobility-trap relationship to lower densities of trapped charges gives an upper limit on the available mobility with the present gate stack if the density of the fast traps is reduced further. However, this analysis demonstrates that the expected mobility is still far below what is obtained in Si MOSFETs. Further investigations are needed to analyze other mechanisms that might be responsible for poor electron mobility in Ge MOSFETs and thereby optimize the gate stack by suppressing these mechanisms.by Ali Khakifirooz.Ph.D

Scaling and variability in ultra thin body silicon on insulator (UTB SOI) MOSFETs

The main objective of this thesis is to perform a comprehensive simulation study of the statistical variability in well scaled fully depleted ultra thin body silicon on insulator (FD-UTB SOI) at nanometer regime. It describes the design procedure for template FDUTB SOI transistor scaling and the impacts of statistical variability and reliability the scaled template transistor. The starting point of this study is a systematic simulation analysis based on a welldesigned 32nm thin body SOI template transistor provided by the FP7 project PULLNANO. The 32nm template transistor is consistent with the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductor (ITRS) 2009 specifications. The wellestablished 3D ‘atomistic’ simulator GARAND has been employed in the designing of the scaled transistors and to carry out the statistical variability simulations. Following the foundation work in characterizing and optimizing the template 32 nm gate length transistor, the scaling proceeds down to 22 nm, 16 nm and 11 nm gate lengths using typically 0.7 scaling factor in respect of the horizontal and vertical transistor dimensions. The device design process is targeted for low power applications with a careful consideration of the impacts of the design parameters choice including buried oxide thickness (TBOX), source/drain doping abruptness (σ) and spacer length (Lspa). In order to determine the values of TBOX, σ, and Lspa, it is important to analyze simulation results, carefully assessing the impact on manufacturability and to consider the corresponding trade-off between short channel effects and on-current performance. Considering the above factors, TBOX = 10nm, σ = 2nm/dec and Lspa = 7nm have been adopted as optimum values respectively. iv The statistical variability of the transistor characteristics due to intrinsic parameter fluctuation (IPF) in well-scaled FD-UTB SOI devices is systematically studied for the first time. The impact of random dopant fluctuation (RDF), line edge roughness (LER) and metal gate granularity (MGG) on threshold voltage (Vth), on-current (Ion) and drain induced barrier lowering (DIBL) are analysed. Each principal sources of variability is treated individually and in combination with other variability sources in the simulation of large ensembles of microscopically different devices. The introduction of highk/ metal gate stack has improved the electrostatic integrity and enhanced the overall device performance. However, in the case of fully depleted channel transistors, MGG has become a dominant variability factor for all critical electrical parameters at gate first technology. For instance, σVth due to MGG increased to 41.9 mV at 11nm gate length compared to 26.0 mV at 22nm gate length. Similar trend has also been observed in σIon, increasing from 0.065 up to 0.174 mA/μm when the gate length is reduced from 22 nm down to 11 nm. Both RDF and LER have significant role in the intrinsic parameter fluctuations and therefore, none of these sources should be overlooked in the simulations. Finally, the impact of different variability sources in combination with positive bias temperature instability (PBTI) degradation on Vth, Ion and DIBL of the scaled nMOSFETs is investigated. Our study indicates that BTI induced charge trapping is a crucial reliability problem for the FD-UTB SOI transistors operation. Its impact not only introduces a significant degradation of transistor performance, but also accelerates the statistical variability. For example, the effect of a late degradation stage (at trap density of 1e12/cm2) in the presence of RDF, LER and MGG results in σVth increase to 36.9 mV, 45.0 mV and 58.3 mV for 22 nm, 16 nm and 11 nm respectively from the original 29.0 mV, 37.9 mV and 50.4 mV values in the fresh transistors

Multi-gate Si nanowire MOSFETs:fabrication, strain engineering and transport analysis

Multi-gate devices e.g. gate-all-around (GAA) Si nanowires and FinFETs are promising can- didates for aggressive CMOS downscaling. Optimum subthreshold slope, immunity against short channel effect and optimized power consumption are the major benefits of such archi- tectures due to higher electrostatic control of the channel. On the other hand, Si nanowires show excellent mechanical properties e.g. yield and fracture strengths of 10±2% and 30±1% in comparison to 3.7% and 4.0% for bulk Si, respectively, a strong motivation to be used as exclusive platforms for innovative nanoelectronic applications e.g. novel strain engineering techniques for carrier transport enhancement in multi-gate 3D suspended channels or lo- cal band-gap modulation using > 4 GPa uniaxial tensile stress in suspended Si channels to enhance the band-to-band tunneling current in multi-gate Tunnel-FETs, all without plastic deformation and therefore, no carrier mobility degradation in deeply scaled channels. In this thesis and as a first step, a precise built-in stress analysis during local thermal oxidation of suspended Si NWs in the presence of a Si3N4 tensile hard mask was done. Accumulation of up to 2.6 GPa uniaxial tensile stress in the buckled NWs is reported. The contribution of hard mask/spacer engineering on the stress level and the NW formation was studied and buckled self-aligned dual NW MOSFETs on bulk Si with two sub-100 nm cross-sectional Si cores including ∼0.8 uniaxial tensile stress are reported. Micro-Raman spectroscopy was widely used in this thesis to measure stress in the buckled NWs on both bulk and SOI substrates. A process flow was designed to make dense array of GAA sub-5 nm cross-sectional Si NWs using a SOI substrate including a high level of stress. The NW stress level can be engineered simply using e.g. metal-gate thin film stress suitable for both NMOS and PMOS devices. Lately, highly and heavily doped architectures with a single-type doping profile from source to drain, called junctionless and accumulation-mode devices, are proposed to significantly simplify the fabrication process, address a few technical limitations e.g. ultra-abrupt junctions in order to fabricate shorter channel length devices. Therefore, in this process flow, a highly doped accumulation-mode was targeted as the operation mechanism. Finally, extensive TCAD device simulation was done on GAA Si NW JL MOSFETs to study the corner effects on the device characteristics, from subthreshold to strong accumulation, report the concept of local volume accumulation/depletion, quantum flat-band voltage, significant bias-dependent series resistance in junctionless MOSFETs and finally, support the experimental data to extract precisely the carrier mobility in sub-5 nm Si NW MOSFETs

Multiple-Independent-Gate Field-Effect Transistors for High Computational Density and Low Power Consumption

Transistors are the fundamental elements in Integrated Circuits (IC). The development of transistors significantly improves the circuit performance. Numerous technology innovations have been adopted to maintain the continuous scaling down of transistors. With all these innovations and efforts, the transistor size is approaching the natural limitations of materials in the near future. The circuits are expected to compute in a more efficient way. From this perspective, new device concepts are desirable to exploit additional functionality. On the other hand, with the continuously increased device density on the chips, reducing the power consumption has become a key concern in IC design. To overcome the limitations of Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) technology in computing efficiency and power reduction, this thesis introduces the multiple- independent-gate Field-Effect Transistors (FETs) with silicon nanowires and FinFET structures. The device not only has the capability of polarity control, but also provides dual-threshold- voltage and steep-subthreshold-slope operations for power reduction in circuit design. By independently modulating the Schottky junctions between metallic source/drain and semiconductor channel, the dual-threshold-voltage characteristics with controllable polarity are achieved in a single device. This property is demonstrated in both experiments and simulations. Thanks to the compact implementation of logic functions, circuit-level benchmarking shows promising performance with a configurable dual-threshold-voltage physical design, which is suitable for low-power applications. This thesis also experimentally demonstrates the steep-subthreshold-slope operation in the multiple-independent-gate FETs. Based on a positive feedback induced by weak impact ionization, the measured characteristics of the device achieve a steep subthreshold slope of 6 mV/dec over 5 decades of current. High Ion/Ioff ratio and low leakage current are also simultaneously obtained with a good reliability. Based on a physical analysis of the device operation, feasible improvements are suggested to further enhance the performance. A physics-based surface potential and drain current model is also derived for the polarity-controllable Silicon Nanowire FETs (SiNWFETs). By solving the carrier transport at Schottky junctions and in the channel, the core model captures the operation with independent gate control. It can serve as the core framework for developing a complete compact model by integrating advanced physical effects. To summarize, multiple-independent-gate SiNWFETs and FinFETs are extensively studied in terms of fabrication, modeling, and simulation. The proposed device concept expands the family of polarity-controllable FETs. In addition to the enhanced logic functionality, the polarity-controllable SiNWFETs and FinFETs with the dual-threshold-voltage and steep-subthreshold-slope operation can be promising candidates for future IC design towards low-power applications