Abstract
Abstract SETs (Single-Electron-Transistors) arouse growing interest for their very low energy consumption. For future industrialization, it is crucial to show a CMOS-compatible fabrication of SETs, and a key prerequisite is the patterning of sub-20 nm Si Nano-Pillars (NP) with an embedded thin SiO2 layer. In this work, we report the patterning of such multi-layer isolated NP with e-beam lithography combined with a Reactive Ion Etching (RIE) process. The Critical Dimension (CD) uniformity and the robustness of the Process of Reference are evaluated. Characterization methods, either by CD-SEM for the CD, or by TEM cross-section for the NP profile, are compared and discussed.
Highlights
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a very rapidly growing market, with 20 billion of connected devices expected by 2020
We detail process definition and optimization leading to a Process of Reference (PoR), which we evaluate in terms of Critical Dimension (CD) uniformity and reproducibility
The Focused Ion Beam (FIB) NVision 40 from Zeiss Microscopy, and the Energy-Filtered Transmission Electron Microscopy (EFTEM) Titan 80–300 from FEI equipped with the “Gatan Tridiem 863” energy filter, are both installed at HZDR
Summary
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a very rapidly growing market, with 20 billion of connected devices expected by 2020. A critical constraint for those devices is to offer low power consumption [1]. In this context, single-electron-transistors (SETs), consisting of a quantum dot lying between two tunneling junctions to neighbor drain and source Si re gions, arise growing interest [2]. Vertical nanopillar based SETs in gate-all-around configuration, where the quantum dot is a Si nanodot embedded in a SiO2 layer, are promising candidates to offer both low power consumption and an enhanced gate control [3,4]. NPs of such dimensions have already been patterned, but either the processes and materials do not meet the CMOS industry standards, or the NPs are single-layer structures [7,8]. We detail process definition and optimization leading to a Process of Reference (PoR), which we evaluate in terms of CD uniformity and reproducibility
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