Investigation of thermal effects on FinFETs in the quasi-ballistic regime

Abstract

In this work, the thermal effects of FinFETs in the quasi-ballistic regime are investigated using the Monte Carlo method. Bulk Si nFinFETs with the same fin structure and two different gate lengths Lg = 20 and 80 nm are investigated and compared to evaluate the thermal effects on the performance of FinFETs in the quasi-ballistic regime. The on current of the 20 nm FinFET with Vgs = 0.7 V does not decrease with increasing lattice temperature (TL) at a high Vds. The electrostatic properties in the 20 nm FinFET are more affected by TL than those in the 80 nm FinFET. However, the electron transport in the 20 nm FinFET is less affected by TL than that in the 80 nm FinFET. The electrostatic properties being more sensitive and the electron transport being less sensitive to thermal effects in the quasi-ballistic regime than in the diffusive regime should be considered for effective device modeling and design.