Electron mobility in silicon nanowires using nonlinear surface roughness scattering model

Abstract

We theoretically calculate the electron mobility in silicon nanowire metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor. The calculation of electron mobility is based on the Kubo–Greenwood formulation and the self-consistent solutions of Schrödinger and Poisson equations. Phonon scattering (PHS), Coulomb scattering, and surface roughness scattering (SRS) mechanisms are considered in this study. The nonlinear SRS model is employed because it can reproduce the experimental mobility with realistic surface roughness parameters. The simulation demonstrates that PHS and SRS are both vital scattering mechanisms. The rate of SRS significantly increases with decreasing device size, and SRS is the dominant scattering mechanism in ultra-narrow silicon nanowires.