Detailed simulation study of a dual material gate carbon nanotube field-effect transistor

Abstract

For the first time, a new type of carbon nanotube field-effect transistor (CNTFET), the dual material gate (DMG)-CNTFET, is proposed and simulated using quantum simulation that is based on self-consistent solution between two-dimensional Poisson equation and Schrödinger equation with open boundary conditions, within the nonequilibrium Green's function (NEGF) framework. The proposed structure is similar to that of the conventional coaxial CNTFET with the exception that the gate of the DMG-CNTFET consists of two laterally contacting metals with different work functions. Simulation results show DMG-CNTFET significantly decreases leakage current, drain conductance and subthreshold swing, and increases on–off current ratio and voltage gain as compared to conventional CNTFET. We demonstrate that the potential in the channel region exhibits a step function that ensures the screening of the drain potential variation by the gate near the drain resulting in suppressed short-channel effects like the drain-induced barrier lowering (DIBL) and hot-carrier effect.