Multimode Silicon Nanowire Transistors

Abstract

The combined capabilities of both a nonplanar design and nonconventional carrier injection mechanisms are subject to recent scientific investigations to overcome the limitations of silicon metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors. In this Letter, we present a multimode field effect transistors device using silicon nanowires that feature an axial n-type/intrinsic doping junction. A heterostructural device design is achieved by employing a self-aligned nickel-silicide source contact. The polymorph operation of the dual-gate device enabling the configuration of one p- and two n-type transistor modes is demonstrated. Not only the type but also the carrier injection mode can be altered by appropriate biasing of the two gate terminals or by inverting the drain bias. With a combined band-to-band and Schottky tunneling mechanism, in p-type mode a subthreshold swing as low as 143 mV/dec and an ON/OFF ratio of up to 104 is found. As the device operates in forward bias, a nonconventional tunneling transistor is realized, enabling an effective suppression of ambipolarity. Depending on the drain bias, two different n-type modes are distinguishable. The carrier injection is dominated by thermionic emission in forward bias with a maximum ON/OFF ratio of up to 107 whereas in reverse bias a Schottky tunneling mechanism dominates the carrier transport.

Fabrication and characterization of silicon nanowire p-i-n MOS gated diode for use as p-type tunnel FET

“…But we show that our best result is close to the study presented in ref. [22], where they obtained a SS of 143 mV/dec and an I on of 20 nA at V DS ¼ À0:5 V. However, it should be mentioned that their device is a i-n þþ Si VLS NW with a silicide source, and their I on current is the recombination current of the hole current obtained by BBT transition through the Schottky barrier and the electron current obtained by the BBT through the i-n þþ junction, thanks to the dual-gate modulation.…”

Imaging low-dimensional nanostructures by very low voltage scanning electron microscopy: ultra-shallow topography and depth-tunable material contrast

“…Research on VLS grown Si NWs began to experience a rapidly growing interest around twenty years ago, being those early activities focused on understanding the growth mechanisms and on improving control of the NW properties 17,18 . The field has progressively evolved so that most of the activity reported during the last decade has turned towards specialized applications in multiples areas, from energy 19–23 and healthcare 24–27 to information and communications technologies 28–30 . In consequence, the interest on NW based nanostructures with increasing compositional and structural complexity is also growing.…”

Effects of vacancy defects and axial strain on thermal conductivity of silicon nanowires: A reverse nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulation

“…Among the silicon nanostructures, silicon nanowires (SiNWs) are highly considered due to their thermoelectric, optical, electrical and thermal properties and a great deal of researches have been focused on fabrication, investigation and applications of these nanostructures. It is shown that silicon nanowire field effect transistors (SiNWFETs) [1][2][3] can be a reliable candid for biosensors which they are real-time, high selective and high sensitive [4][5][6]. They are also a nice choice for advanced energy storage and conversion devices [7] such as lithium-ion rechargeable batteries [8][9][10], photovoltaic devices [11][12][13], and thermoelectric devices [14][15][16].…”