Tunnel FinFET CMOS inverter with very low short-circuit current for ultralow-power Internet of Things application

Abstract

We have demonstrated the operation of a CMOS inverter consisting of Si tunnel FinFETs. Both p- and n-type tunnel FinFETs are successfully fabricated and operated on the same SOI wafer. The current mismatch between p- and n-type tunnel FETs is compensated by tuning the number of fin channels. Very low short-circuit current and clear voltage input–output characteristics are obtained. The thin epitaxial channel in the tunnel FinFETs effectively increases the drain current and accordingly reduces the drain capacitance, which could help high-performance tunnel FET CMOS inverter operation.