Dielectric Modulated Doping-Less Tunnel Field-Effect Transistor, a Novel Biosensor Based on Cladding Layer Concept

Abstract

In this paper, we introduce a novel dielectric modulated TFET-based biosensor that uses the cladding layer concept to induce holes in an intrinsic Ge source region. Two nano-cavities are carved in the cladding layers to be filled by biomolecules. Since the proposed device is a doping-less structure, the presence of different biomolecules in the cavities modulates the density of the charge carriers and energy band diagram of the source and impacts on the sensor characteristics. The sensor characteristics and its sensitivity and selectivity are investigated by a calibrated simulation framework. The proposed fabrication process of this biosensor is fully compatible with CMOS technology. We achieve a remarkable sensing performance at low operating voltages, which makes the proposed biosensor a promising candidate for ultra-low power applications.