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We demonstrate a non-volatile field-effect transistor (NVFET) with a 3-nm amorphous HfO2 dielectric that can simulate the synaptic functions under the difference and repetition of gate voltage (VG) pulses. Under 100 ns write/erase (W/E) pulse, a memory window greater than 0.56 V and cycling endurance above 106 are obtained. The storied information as short-term plasticity (STP) in the device has a spiking post-synaptic drain current (ID) that is a response to the VG input pulse and spontaneous decay of ID. A refractory period after the stimuli is observed, during which the ID hardly varies with the VG well-emulating the bio-synapse behavior. Short-term memory to long-term memory transition, paired-pulse facilitation, and post-tetanic potentiation are realized by adjusting the VG pulse waveform and number. The experimental results indicate that the amorphous HfO2 NVFET is a potential candidate for artificial bio-synapse applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-mobility Ge nMOSFETs with ZrO2 gate dielectric are demonstrated and compared against transistors with different interfacial properties of ozone (O3) treatment, O3 post-treatment and without O3 treatment. It is found that with O3 treatment, the Ge nMOSFETs with ZrO2 dielectric having a EOT of 0.83 nm obtain a peak effective electron mobility (μeff) of 682 cm2/Vs, which is higher than that of the Si universal mobility at the medium inversion charge density (Qinv). On the other hand, the O3 post-treatment with Al2O3 interfacial layer can provide dramatically enhanced-μeff, achieving about 50% μeff improvement as compared to the Si universal mobility at medium Qinv of 5 × 1012 cm−2. These results indicate the potential utilization of ZrO2 dielectric in high-performance Ge nMOSFETs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The HfO2-based ferroelectric field effect transistor (FeFET) with a metal/ferroelectric/insulator/semiconductor (MFIS) gate stack is currently being considered as a possible candidate for high-density and fast write speed non-volatile memory. Although the retention performance of the HfO2-based FeFET with a MFIS gate stack could satisfy the requirements for practical applications, its memory window (MW) and reliability with respect to endurance should be further improved. This work investigates the advantage of employing ZrO2 seed layers on the MW, retention, and endurance of the Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 (HZO)-based FeFETs with MFIS gate stacks, by using fast voltage pulse measurements. It is found that the HZO-based FeFET with a ZrO2 seed layer shows a larger initial and 10-year extrapolated MW, as well as improved endurance performance compared with the HZO-based FeFET without the ZrO2 seed layer. The results indicate that employing of a direct crystalline high-k/Si gate stack would further improve the MW and reliability of the HfO2-based FeFETs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the impacts of post metal annealing (PMA) and post deposition annealing (PDA) on the electrical performance of Ge p-type metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (pMOSFETs) with ZrO2 dielectric. For the transistors without PDA, on-state current (ION), subthreshold swing (SS), and capacitance equivalent thickness (CET) characteristics are improved with PMA temperature increasing from 350 to 500 °C. Crystallization of ZrO2 dielectric at the higher PMA temperature contributes to the increase of the permittivity of ZrO2 and the decrease of the density of interface states (Dit), resulting in a reduced CET and high effective hole mobility (μeff). It is demonstrated that Ge pMOSFETs with a PDA treatment at 400 °C have a lower CET and a steeper SS but a lower μeff compared to devices without PDA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Germanium (Ge) negative capacitance field-effect transistors (NCFETs) with various Zr compositions in Hf1−xZrxO2 (x = 0.33, 0.48, and 0.67) are fabricated and characterized. For each Zr composition, the NCFET exhibits the sudden drop in some points of subthreshold swing (SS), which is induced by the NC effect. Drive current IDS increases with the increase of annealing temperature, which should be due to the reduced source/drain resistance and improved carrier mobility. The steep SS points are repeatable and stable through multiple DC sweeping measurement proving that they are induced by the NC effect. The values of gate voltage VGS corresponding to steep SS are consistent and clockwise IDS-VGS are maintained through the multiple DC sweeps. At fixed annealing temperature, NC device with Hf0.52Zr0.48O2 achieves the higher IDS but larger hysteresis compared to the other compositions. NCFET with Hf0.67Zr0.33O2 can obtain the excellent performance with hysteresis-free curves and high IDS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comparison study on electrical performance of Ge pMOSFETs with a GeOx passivation layer formed by ozone post oxidation (OPO) and plasma post oxidation (PPO) is performed. PPO and OPO were carried out on an Al2O3/n-Ge (001) substrate followed by a 5-nm HfO2 gate dielectric in situ deposited in an ALD chamber. The quality of the dielectric/Ge interface layer was characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The PPO treatment leads to a positive threshold voltage (VTH) shift and a lower ION/IOFF ratio, implying a poor interface quality. Ge pMOSFETs with OPO exhibit a higher ION/IOFF ratio (up to four orders of magnitude), improved subthreshold swing, and enhanced carrier mobility characteristics as compared with PPO devices. A thicker Al2O3 block layer in the OPO process leads to a higher mobility in Ge transistors. By comparing two different oxidation methods, the results show that the OPO is an effective way to increase the interface layer quality which is contributing to the improved effective mobility of Ge pMOSFETs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We studied the reverse current emission mechanism of the Mo/β-Ga2O3 Schottky barrier diode through the temperature-dependent current-voltage (I-V) characteristics from 298 to 423 K. The variation of reverse current with the electric field indicates that the Schottky emission is the dominant carrier transport mechanism under reverse bias rather than the Frenkel-Poole trap-assisted emission model. Moreover, a breakdown voltage of 300 V was obtained in Fluorinert ambient with an average electric field of 3 MV/cm in Mo/β-Ga2O3 Schottky barrier diode. The effects of the surface states, on the electric field distribution, were also analyzed by TCAD simulation. With the negative surface charge densities increasing, the peak electric field reduces monotonously. Furthermore, the Schottky barrier height inhomogeneity under forward bias was also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]