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Title: Impact of field-induced quantum confinement on the onset of tunneling field-effect transistors: Experimental verification

Journal Article · · Applied Physics Letters
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4902117· OSTI ID:22392041
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  1. Imec, Kapeldreef 75, 3001 Heverlee (Belgium)
  2. Belgium
  3. ICTEAM, Université catholique de Louvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium)

The Tunneling Field-Effect Transistor (TFET) is a promising device for future low-power logic. Its performance is often predicted using semiclassical simulations, but there is usually a large discrepancy with experimental results. An important reason is that Field-Induced Quantum Confinement (FIQC) is neglected. Quantum mechanical simulations show FIQC delays the onset of Band-To-Band Tunneling (BTBT) with hundreds of millivolts in the promising line-TFET configuration. In this letter, we provide experimental verification of this delayed onset. We accomplish this by developing a method where line-TFET are modeled using highly doped MOS capacitors (MOS-CAP). Using capacitance-voltage measurements, we demonstrate AC inversion by BTBT, which was so far unobserved in MOS-CAP. Good agreement is shown between the experimentally obtained BTBT onset and quantum mechanical predictions, proving the need to include FIQC in all TFET simulations. Finally, we show that highly doped MOS-CAP is promising for characterization of traps deep into the conduction band.

OSTI ID:
22392041
Journal Information:
Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 105, Issue 20; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0003-6951
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English