Can p-channel tunnel field-effect transistors perform as good as n-channel?

Journal Article · Mon Jul 28 04:00:00 EDT 2014 · Applied Physics Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4891348· OSTI ID:22311215

Pourghaderi, M. A.; Collaert, N.; Verreck, D.; Van de Put, M.; Groeseneken, G. ^[1]; KU Leuven, 3001 Leuven ^[2]; Sorée, B. ^[1]; U Antwerpen, 2020 Wilrijk ^[2]

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1. Imec, Kapeldreef 75, 3001 Leuven (Belgium)
2. Belgium

We show that bulk semiconductor materials do not allow perfectly complementary p- and n-channel tunnel field-effect transistors (TFETs), due to the presence of a heavy-hole band. When tunneling in p-TFETs is oriented towards the gate-dielectric, field-induced quantum confinement results in a highest-energy subband which is heavy-hole like. In direct-bandgap IIIV materials, the most promising TFET materials, phonon-assisted tunneling to this subband degrades the subthreshold swing and leads to at least 10× smaller on-current than the desired ballistic on-current. This is demonstrated with quantum-mechanical predictions for p-TFETs with tunneling orthogonal to the gate, made out of InP, In{sub 0.53}Ga{sub 0.47}As, InAs, and a modified version of In{sub 0.53}Ga{sub 0.47}As with an artificially increased conduction-band density-of-states. We further show that even if the phonon-assisted current would be negligible, the build-up of a heavy-hole-based inversion layer prevents efficient ballistic tunneling, especially at low supply voltages. For p-TFET, a strongly confined n-i-p or n-p-i-p configuration is therefore recommended, as well as a tensily strained line-tunneling configuration.

• OSTI ID: 22311215
• Journal Information: Applied Physics Letters, Journal Name: Applied Physics Letters Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 105; ISSN APPLAB; ISSN 0003-6951
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
CONFIGURATION
CONFINEMENT
CURRENTS
DENSITY
DIELECTRIC MATERIALS
ELECTRIC POTENTIAL
FIELD EFFECT TRANSISTORS
FORECASTING
INDIUM ARSENIDES
INDIUM PHOSPHIDES
LAYERS
PHONONS
QUANTUM MECHANICS
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS
STRAINS
TUNNEL EFFECT