Search

For the first time, we demonstrate heterogeneous complementary FETs (hCFETs) with Ge and Si channels fabricated with a layer transfer technique. The 3D channel stacking integration particularly employs a low-temperature (200 °C) hetero-layers bonding technique (LT-HBT) realized by a surface activating chemical treatment at room temperature, enabling Ge channels bonded onto Si wafers. Furthermore, to obtain symmetric performance in n/p FETs, a multi-channel structure of two-channel Si and one-channel Ge is also implemented. Wafer-scale LT-HBT is demonstrated successfully, showing new opportunities for the ultimate device footprint scaling with heterogeneous integration.

Evolution of transistor structures, from planar, fin to gate-all-around (GAA) nanowire (NW)/nanosheet (NS), enables consecutive device scaling and performance boost. To further enhance the drive current per footprint, a vertically stacked configuration compatible with current CMOS technology may be a promising approach for extending Moore's Law. In this paper, we review the recent status of stacked FET architectures and beyond, as well as pointing out the challenges and perspectives.

This paper reports detailed analysis on switching dynamics and device variability over a wide range of temperatures for deeply scaled (40nm gate length) tri-gate ferroelectric FETs with 10nm HZO fabricated using gate first process on SOI wafers. Our experimental results manifest, 99% ferroelectric switching at room temperature and at 233K. A memory window over 5V and strong gate length dependence of memory window is observed. Highly linear and symmetric multilevel switching characteristics makes our ferroelectric FETs suitable for neuromorphic applications, as demonstrated with neural network online training simulations.

For the first time, CMOS inverters and 6T-SRAM cells based on vertically stacked gate-all-around complementary FETs (CFETs) are experimentally demonstrated. Manufacturing difficulties of vertically stacked source and drain electrodes of the CFETs have been overcome by using junctionless transistors, thereby reducing the number of lithographic steps required. Furthermore, with post metallization treatments, both the voltage transfer characteristics (VTCs) of CMOS inverters and butterfly curves of SRAM show significant improvements due to the symmetry of nMOS and pMOS threshold voltages. Simulation shows that 3-dimensional CFET inverters have lower input parasitic capacitance than standard 2-dimensional CMOS, leading to reduced gate delay and lower power consumption.

Ge peaking n- and p-FinFETs have been demonstrated by adopting neutral beam etching (NBE) and anisotropic neutral beam oxidation (NBO) processes. The irradiation-free NB processes not only suppress surface roughness but also guarantee low defect generation on the etched Ge surface. The fabricated Ge peaking FinFETs possess several unique features: (1) A peaking fin configuration with a 6-nm top-gate formed by an anisotropic NBO process at room temperature. (2) Nearly defect-free three dimensional channel surfaces by NB processes. (3) Ion and Gm improvement by NB processes as compared to that by conventional inductively coupled plasma etching (ICP). (4) Recorded high Ion/Ioff ratio and low subthreshold swing (S.S. ∼ 70 mV/dec.) of Ge n-FinFETs. (5) Excellent immunity for short channel effect of Ge FinFETs.

We propose a feasible pathway to scale the Ge MOSFET technology by using a novel diamond-shaped Ge and Ge09Si01 gate-all-around (GAA) nanowire (NW) FETs with four {111} facets. The device fabrication requires only simple top-down dry etching and blanket Ge epitaxy techniques readily available in mass production. The proposed dry etching process involves three isotropic/anisotropic etching steps with different Cl2/HBr ratios for forming the suspended diamond-shaped channel. Taking advantages of the GAA configuration, favorable carrier mobility of the {111} surface, nearly defect-free suspended channel, and improved dopant activation by incorporating Si, nFET and pFET with excellent performance have been demonstrated, including an Ion/Ioff ratio exceeding 108, the highest ever reported for Ge-based pFETs.

A junctionless (JL) fin thin film transistor (FinTFT) with a novel shell doping profile (SDP) formed by a damage-free conformal molecular monolayer doping (MLD) method and a combination of microwave annealing (MWA) and CO2 laser spike annealing (COLSA) is demonstrated and studied. MWA drives in and partially activates the MLD dopants; the resultant SDP features an ultra-shallow depth ( 107) for 3D stacked ICs applications. Our results reveal the potential of the proposed SDP formed by MLD, MWA and COLSA enabling a JLFinTFT showing excellent performance.

For the first time, a novel junctionless (JL) FinFET structure with a shell doping profile (SDP) formed by molecular monolayer doping (MLD) method and microwave annealing (MWA) at low temperature is proposed and studied. Thanks to the ultra thin SDP leading to an easily-depleted channel, the proposed JLFinFET can retain the ideal subthreshold swing (∼ 60 mV/dec) at a high doping level according to simulations. Poly Si based JLFinFETs processed with MLD and MWA exhibit superior subthreshold swing (S.S. ∼ 67mV/dec) and excellent on-off ratio (>106) for both n and p channel devices. Threshold voltage (V TH ) variation due to random dopant fluctuation (RDF) is reduced in MLD-JLFinFETs, which can be attributed to the molecule self-limiting property of MLD on the Si surface and quasi-diffusionless MWA at low temperature. Our results reveal the potential of the proposed SDP enabling a JLFET showing reduced variation and outstanding performance for low power applications.

For the first time, Ge CMOS with all thermal processes performed by microwave annealing (MWA) has been realized. The full MWA process is under 390 oC. It significantly outperforms conventional rapid thermal annealing (RTA) process in 3 aspects: (1) Diffusion-less junction: for easily diffused n-type dopant, phosphorous (P), the ion implantation dopant profile after the MWA activation process remains unchanged. (2) Increased C ox and lower gate leakage: the low temperature activation process leads to less Ge out-diffusion during MWA than RTA, suppressing the degradation of gate dielectric/ Ge channel interface. (3) Ultrathin 7.5nm Ni mono-germanide with low sheet resistance (Rs) and contact resistivity: after two-step MWA, a thin mono-NiGe layer was obtained which has larger crystallite size to lower Rs. Ge n- and p-MOSFET were also demonstrated. Compared to conventional RTA, the MWA gives 50% and 24% drive current enhancement for p- and n-MOSFET, respectively. These data show that the low temperature MWA is a very promising thermal process technology for Ge CMOS manufacturing.

Due to the highest electron mobility (2200 cm2/Vs) on (111) Ge surface, the n-channel triangular Ge gate-all-around (GAA) FET with (111) sidewalls on Si and L g =350 nm shows 2x enhanced I on of 110 μA/μm at 1V with respect to the devices with near (110) sidewalls. A novel process to etch away the defective Ge near Ge/Si interface from epitaxial Ge grown on SOI achieves a nearly defect-free channel, good gate control triangular gate, and larger effective width. Electrostatic control of SS= 94 mV/dec (at 1V) can be further improved if superior gate stack than EOT= 5.5 nm and D it = 1×1012 cm−2eV−1 is used. The I on can be further enhanced if the line edge roughness (LER) can be reduced. The Ge GAA n-FET is reported for the first time with CMOS compatible process, which makes the circuits integration much easier.

Very high 6.5 aspect ratio, 30nm diameter contacts are filled with a novel bottom-up Ag electroplating technology for the first time. The technology utilizes two distinct advantages of Ag over Cu: (1) Ag has the lower metal resistivity, and (2) Ag has several orders of magnitude lower diffusivity in Si than Cu. The bottom-up deposition technology intrinsically avoids the issue of seam formation arising from sidewall deposition, and thus is very promising” for future scaled contacts, even down to single digit nano-meter technology nodes.