Source-channel Junction Research Articles

Linearity and noise evaluation based analysis of extended source heterojunction double gate tunnel FET

This research work evaluates a performance analysis of heterostructure (SiGe/Si) double gate extended source Tunnel FET (Hetero-ES-TFET) to enhance the analog performance, linearity and noise performance. At the source-channel junction, a Hetero-ES-TFET's source is extended into the channel to increase point and line tunneling in the device. The Hetero-ES-TFET exhibits a high ION/IOFF of 3.57 × 1012 and a maximum cut off frequency fT of 54.19 GHz for optimization of device structural parameters. This analysis is conducted using a calibrated SILVACO, technology computer-aided design (TCAD) simulator. The proposed structure includes evaluation of linearity and noise performance characteristics. Furthermore, a linearity analysis as a figure of merit was conducted for the proposed device under study, including different parameters such as 3rd order intermodulation distortion point (IMD3), 3rd order intermodulation intercept point (IIP3), 2nd and 3rd order voltage intercept point (VIP2 and VIP3). The proposed Hetero-ES-TFET has achieved an incredibly high ON current and low threshold voltage. The effect of increasing source width has been examined in this work while sub-threshold swing (SS) remains unchanged during the analysis. There is an improvement in threshold voltage and ION/IOFF value by using silicon-germanium (SiGe) as a source material.

A Mg2Si/Si heterojunction based dielectric modulated dopingless TFET biosensor for label free detection

In this work, we contrasted the potential of Mg2Si/Si heterojunction-based dopingless (DL) double gate tunnel field effect transistor (DGTFET) with conventional (C)-DL-DGTFET. The simulation results exhibit excellent capabilities of Mg2Si source DL-DGTFET in terms of electrical properties, that are ION, ION/IOFF, electron tunnelling rate, Vth and SS in comparison to C-DL-TFET. A remarkable improvement of 77.5 % and 81.3 % is observed while computing Vth and SS, in the case of Mg2Si source DL-DGTFET. For that reason, to avail most advantage of Mg2Si/Si heterojunction, the proposed device with similar specifications and dimensions is critically analysed for biosensing applications. Dual cavities (20 nm x 5 nm) are carved underneath gate electrodes near source channel junction to grab the biomolecules. The proposed biosensor (Mg2Si source DL-DGTFET) exhibits significant sensitivity results for both charged (deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)) and uncharged (neutral) biomolecules. Also, we have reported an impact on biosensor sensitivity with variation in the height of nanocavity (tbio). The effect of steric hindrance on sensitivity is analysed by considering four step profiles - increasing, decreasing, convex and concave. The result reveals the competency of Mg2Si/Si heterojunction DL-DGTFET in terms of overall device sensitivity.

Assessment of the Biosensing Capabilities of SiGe Heterojunction Negative Capacitance-Vertical Tunnel Field-Effect Transistor.

In this study, a comparison of the negative capacitance vertical tunnel field-effect transistor (NC-VTFET) and VTFET for biosensing applications was conducted. Dielectrically modulated TFET demonstrates better sensitivity than the traditional metal oxide field effect transistor as a biosensor in label-free biosensing applications. The TFET biosensor, however, has much room for advancement by enhancing its DC characteristics. This research addresses the impact of ferroelectric gate oxide for integration of negative capacitance (NC) effect with the SiGe heterojunction pocket at the source-channel junction to enhance performance for biosensor applications. By putting the NC layer over SiO2, the channel voltage increases with decreased subthreshold slope and OFF current, thereby creating an NC effect. Because SiGe has a narrow band gap, pocket doping of SiGe near the source channel junction will increase the concentration of charge carriers, improving the band-to-band tunneling. In order to aid in the integration of biomolecules and to modulate band-to-band tunneling based on charge density (qf), dielectric constant (k), temperature, and cavity length, a cavity is additionally inserted above the source channel junction and underneath the NC layer, near to SiO2. These values were compared with and without the incorporation of NC layer with respect to various electrical properties such as drain current (Id), sensitivity, and electric field (E). According to the findings, labeled and label-free biosensors' sensitivity may be increased by incorporating the NC effect into VTFET biosensors.

Fringe-fields-modulated double-gate tunnel-FET biosensor

This paper aims to evaluate a groundbreaking bio-TFET that utilizes the fringe fields capacitance concept to detect neutral and charged biomolecules. While facilitating fabrication process and scalability, this innovative bio-TFET is able to rival the conventional bio-TFET which relies on carving cavities in the gate oxide. The cavities of the proposed device are carved in the spacers over the source region and in the vicinity of the gate metal. Inserting biomolecules in the cavities of our bio-TFET modifies the fringe fields arising out of the gate metal. As a result, these spacers modulate tunneling barrier width at the source-channel tunneling junction. We have assessed our proposed device’s DC/RF performance using the calibrated Silvaco ATLAS device simulator. For further evaluation of the reliability of our bio-TFET, non-idealities, such as trap-assisted tunneling and temperature, are also studied. The device we propose is highly suitable for biosensing applications, as evidenced by the parameters of {S}_{{I}_{ds}} = 1.21 × 103, SSS = 0.365, and {S}_{{f}_{T}} = 1.63 × 103 at VGS = 1 V.

Electrical characteristics assessment and noise analysis of pocket-doped multi source T-shaped gate tunnel FET

A detailed analysis of a novel multi-source T-shaped gate Tunnel FET (MS-TTFET) is presented in this study in order to address the main issues with conventional TFETs. Due to its exceptionally low off-state current (IOFF) and remarkable sub-threshold properties, the tunnel field effect transistor has received a great deal of interest for low standby power applications. The MSR's integration into the SOI platform increases the device's on current, which increases the effective tunnelling area in the middle of the source-channel junctions. An isolator oxide has been added to prevent the source and drain regions from being directly coupled. A SiGe pocket has been suggested at the source and channel junction; silicon-germanium, a low bandgap material which enhances the tunnelling of charge carriers. A T-shaped gate can increase the effectiveness of the tunnel junction in order to limit the lower value of the leakage current. The multi-source regions of the T-shaped gate tunnel field effect transistor can boost the on-state current (ION) by improving tunnel junction areas. The device's ION/IOFF ratio, which is 1013 for our suggested construction, is the standard measure of merit for any device. It is possible to achieve an increased ON current of the order of 10−5 A/μm with a negligible subthreshold swing (SS) of 42 mV/decade. Moreover, the effect of low frequency flicker noise on the device behavior has been investigated.

Investigation of junction capacitance in Zener tunnelling tunnel diode partially depleted silicon on insulator

Junction capacitance variation in Zener Tunnelling Tunnel Diode Partially Depleted Silicon On Insulator (ZT-TDPDSOI), due to the geometry effects of source and drain are discussed in this paper. Electric field profile and a capacitance equivalent circuit are used to reveal the gate-source capacitance dependence on the P+ region in ZT-TDPDSOI. It is demonstrated how the inclusion of a P+ region below the source/drain region impacts the gate substrate capacitance using the hole concentration and valence band energy at the source channel junction. A decrease of 42 % was noted in gate-substrate capacitance for a P+ doping of 2*1020/cm3 and thickness of 0.05 μm under fixed biased condition. The use of the trapezoidal approximation is also suggested as an extraction technique for the depletion width.

Endurance Behavior of Z-Shaped Charge Plasma Tunnel FET for Biosensing Application

The tunneling field effect transistor (TFET) is a viable candidate for designing a highly sensitive biosensor. In this work, a doping-less Z-shaped dielectrically modulated charge plasma TFET (CPTFET) structure with misaligned cavity region on channel and source has been proposed for label-free biosensing applications. To design the device, charge plasma technique has been employed, where appropriate metal workfunction is used over intrinsic silicon to create n[Formula: see text] drain and p[Formula: see text]source regions. The charge plasma approach reduces thermal budget, random dopant fluctuation (RDF) and steps required for fabrication. The Z-shaped CPTFET includes the advantage of abrupt profile of doping at source-channel (tunneling) junction. Because cavities are created in source and gate oxide region, the abrupt doping profile suppresses ambipolar behavior and improves sensitivity. The performance of the proposed device for both charged and neutral biomolecules in terms of electric field, band energy, transfer characteristics, [Formula: see text] ratio and subthreshold swing (SS) has been examined. The response of other parameters like cavity thickness and cavity length on ON current has been analyzed using the Silvaco ATLAS device simulator.

Biosensor sensitivity and steric hindrance: A comparison of InGaAs pocket and conventional TFET designs

This research article unveils a novel approach to boost the sensing ability of a biosensor by incorporating a pocket of indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) at the source-channel junction of a tunnel field-effect transistor (TFET). The InGaAs pocket acts as a source of electrons, improving the sensitivity of the biosensor. In addition to the above, this research article also presents a comparative assessment of the proposed charge plasma-based doping less heterostructure (InGaAs pocket) TFET-based biosensor (CPDLHTFET) with a proposed (CPDLTFET) through simulations. The comparison is made based on their respective sensitivity and steric hindrance performances. Additionally, the effects of varying the pocket length and cavity length on the performance of both devices are studied and compared. The outcomes demonstrate that optimizing the InGaAs pocket and cavity length can improve sensitivity. The study also addresses the steric hindrance issue (restriction caused by the already hybridized biomolecules) and the impact on sensitivity due to probe position. The study highlights the potential of TFET-based biosensors for various biotechnology and medical diagnosis applications. Overall, this research presents a promising InGaAs pocket TFET-based design for improved performance.

Dielectrically Modulated III-V Compound Semiconductor Based Pocket Doped Tunnel FET for Label Free Biosensing Applications.

In this paper, a novel structure of double gate tunnel FET has been proposed and simulated for biosensing applications. The device uses III-V compound semiconductors and an n+ doped pocket at the source channel junction. Biomolecules of different dielectric constants (K) with different charge densities (Nbio), both negative and positive, are inserted in the nano-gap cavities (15 nm ×1.5 nm) that have been created under gates near source channel junction to capture biomolecules. From extensive 2D simulations, ION sensitivity of 4.351 ×108/1.03 ×108/1.514 ×109 , subthreshold swing sensitivity of 15.67/20.21/18.57 mV/dec, and threshold voltage sensitivity of 18/12/23 mV for neutral (K = 12)/negatively charged biomolecules ( [Formula: see text] C/cm2, K = 12)/positively charged biomolecules ( [Formula: see text] C/cm2, K = 12) respectively has been observed. Also, transconductance sensitivity of 9.74 ×107 and ION/IOFF sensitivity of 5.255 ×108 for neutral biomolecules (K = 12) has been calculated. Furthermore, the device performance with one-third filled cavities, two-third filled cavities and fully filled cavities has also been studied. The performance of the proposed biosensor has been compared with the previously published work and it has been observed that the sensitivity of the proposed biosensor is 100 times better than the best reported biosensor.

Dielectric Modulated Nanotube Tunnel Field-Effect Transistor as a Label Free Biosensor: Proposal and Investigation.

Dielectric modulated (DM) field-effect transistors (FET) have gained significant popularity for label-free detection of biomolecules. However, the inherent short channel effects limit their sensitivity, scalability and energy-efficiency. Therefore, to realize the true potential of the DMFET based biosensors, in this work, we propose a highly scalable, extremely sensitive and energy-efficient DM nanotube tunnel FET (NT-TFET) biosensor for label-free detection of biomolecules by modifying the structure of the conventional NT-TFET. The modified architecture facilitates the realization of a nanocavity at the source-channel tunneling junction and also provides stability to the immobilized biomolecules. We have performed an extensive analysis of the performance of the proposed DM NT-TFET biosensor in the presence of different representative target biomolecules characterized by different dielectric constants, and/or ionized charge densities using calibrated TCAD simulations. Our results indicate that the proposed DM NT-TFET exhibits an extremely high threshold voltage sensitivity ( SVth ) of 0.44, a high selectivity exceeding four orders of magnitude, ON-state current sensitivity ( SION ) of more than five orders of magnitude and could be a promising alternative to the conventional FET based dielectric modulated biosensors. Moreover, the sensitivity of the proposed DM NT-TFET could be further improved by utilizing alternate source materials with lower bandgap or by probing the transient response of the drain current and exploiting the difference in the settling time for different biomolecules with different dielectric constant ( κ ).

Vertical GaN/InGaN/GaN heterostructure tunnel field-effect transistor: DC and analog/RF performance

This work reports an [Formula: see text]-type GaN/InGaN/GaN heterostructure vertical double-gate tunnel field-effect transistor (VTFET) using exhaustive calibrated simulation for the first time. Investigation has been done for the proposed structure by including a polarization layer of InGaN near the source-channel junction. From the analysis, it has been observed that after the introduction of polarization layer near the source-channel interface, drain current increases due to the increase in charge concentration (2DEG) near the interface due to inter-band tunneling. Value of 2DEG concentration achieved post introducing the polarization layer is [Formula: see text] [Formula: see text]. The reported structure is optimized using parametric sweep optimization technique. Here, a detailed dc and analog/RF performance estimation has been done for the structure with heterostructure. In-depth sensitivity analysis has been done for the structure with the polarization layer. It is reported that the structure with HfO2 as the dielectric material with [Formula: see text] of 2 nm and with gate metal work function of 5.8 eV gives the optimum performance at 300 K. Further, it demonstrates high cutoff frequency ([Formula: see text] and gain bandwidth product (GBW) as 1000 GHz and 300 GHz, respectively. Hence, the reported structure is a better alternative for high-power steep switching analog and RF applications.

Design and analysis of a dual gate tunnel FET with InGaAs source pockets for improved performance

In this work, we propose a novel dual gate tunnel FET (TFET) with an improved ON current. The source pockets of the proposed TFET are designed with a narrow bandgap InGaAs material. As a result, the tunnel width is minimized and a large number of charge carriers will tunnel via the source-channel junction. The DC parameters, as well as RF figures of merit, are analyzed for the proposed TFET. The results have shown that the proposed TFET exhibits a 3.8x increment in ON current, a 51.75% decrement in threshold voltage, and a 50.67% reduction in the subthreshold swing as compared to the existing device. The proposed device has reported a transconductance of 15.4 mS/μm, an output conductance of 8.4 mS/μm, a cut-off frequency of 22.35 THz, and a gain-bandwidth-product of 5.11 THz at a supply voltage of 1 V. Further, temperature stability analysis is carried out to study its impact on DC parameters of the proposed TFET.

Dual material tri-gate Schottky barrier FET as label free biosensor

In this work, the Dual Material Tri Gate Schottky Barrier Field Effect Transistor (DM-TG-SB-FET) is designed and explored for the biosensing applications. The device uses two different materials of gates and the cavities are created near drain-channel and source-channel junction under gates. The biomolecules with dielectric constant K = 5 to K = 12 have been filled in the cavities and the change has been sensed in the device parameters that are electrical in nature. The sensing parameters have been calculated and compared with the already existing Dielectric Modulated FET based biosensor and a significant improvement has been seen in the DM-TG-SB-FET biosensor. The ION sensitivity, gm sensitivity, SS sensitivity, fT sensitivity has been calculated as 28.41, 13.44, 209 (mV/decade), 30.58 × 1011 Hz, respectively, for the biomolecule having dielectric constant, K = 12 in the proposed DM-TG-SB-FET. Also, the change in potential and energy band diagrams has been seen for different dielectric constants that has led to the change in the electrical parameters of the device.

Effect of shifted gate stack engineering over negative capacitance tunnel field effect transistor (NCTFET)

In this work, the performance of negative capacitance field effect transistor is closely investigated with different source material to improvise the transfer characteristics and sub-threshold swing. Tunnel Field Effect Transistor (TFET) being a strong competitor of conventional MOSFET for low power applications has its abilities to pull down Subthreshold Swing (SS) below fundamental limit but it has its own limitations of lower ION current and existence of ambipolar region for lower VGS voltage range. This ambipolar behavior is strongly seen in case of silicon source NCTFET but when source material is replaced with Germanium, a heterojunction is formed at source channel junction, and because of that, improvised result is obtained in terms of steeper subthreshold slope and ION/IOFF ratio. This work compares the transfer characteristics obtained in case of Si-Source and Ge-Source Negative Capacitance Tunnel Field Effect Transistor (NCTFET). The results obtained indicates that heterojunction NCTFET gives a subthreshold swing of 56.6 mV dec−1 and enhances ION/IOFF ratio to 0.24 × 108 in magnitude.

Design and investigation of dielectric modulated triple metal gate-oxide-stack Z-shaped gate horizontal pocket TFET device as a label-free biosensor

In this article, a dielectric modulated triple metal gate-oxide-stack Z-shaped gate horizontal source pocket tunnel field-effect transistor (DM-TMGOS-ZHP-TFET) structure has been investigated for the application of label free-biosensor. This work explores the advantage of gate work function engineering along with the gate-oxide-stack approach for the ZHP-TFET for the first time. An asymmetric nano-cavity is created adjacent to the source-channel junction to immobilize the target biomolecules conjugation to the proposed device. The sensitivity of the device is thoroughly investigated in terms of average subthreshold swing (SS), threshold voltage (V th) and the switching ratio (I on/I off) of the proposed device with the variation of the dielectric constant value inside the nano-gap under the gate electrode. The device characteristics are investigated with different combinations of metal work functions to match the desired feature and sensitivity of the device. In addition, the sensitivity analysis of the proposed device is analyzed in the presence of both positive and negative charged biomolecules in the cavity region to study the charge effect on label-free detection of the device. A comparative study is conducted between a single metal gate (SMG) ZHP-DM-TFET biosensor with the DM-TMGOS-ZHP-TFET biosensor explores the advantage of gate-work function engineering with a gate-oxide-stack approach. Interestingly the DM-TMGOS-ZHP-TFET biosensor shows superior results with a high current ratio sensitivity of 103 which is ten times more than the SMG-ZHP-DM-TFET biosensor and this device also exhibits low subthreshold characteristics.

Diminish Short Channel Effects on Cylindrical GAA Hetero-gate Dielectric TFET using High-Density Delta

The examined work elucidates a novel concept on Gate All Around (GAA) hetero dielectric gate-cylindrical tunnel field-effect transistor (TFET) to reduce SCEs. In this paper, a hetero dielectric gate (HeG) integrated with Silicon-Germanium (Si-Ge) substrate material is proposed along with a novel placement of a high-density delta (HDD) layer across the source–channel junction to achieve high ION of 1.12 × 10−4 A/µm and robust IOFF of 9.7 × 10−17 A/µm at Vgs = 1.2 V with steepest subthreshold swing (SS) of 55 mV/decade. Designing and computation of the proffered structure have been done with the computer-aided design (TCAD) 3D device computation software. The systematic investigation in terms of AC and DC parameters, such as ON-current, OFF-current, Miller Capacitances (Gate-Drain Capacitance (Cgd)) and Gate-Source Capacitance (Cgs), are examined. Hetero-gate dielectric Cyl-TFET with high-density delta (HDD) is superior to other conventional structures. The result outcomes included a trap analysis while incorporating the hot charge carriers inside the oxide for improved device reliability. Furthermore, a low Cgd of 58fF and high Cgs of 6.6fF at Vds = 0.3 V have been achieved.

Design of a triple pocket multi-gate material TFET structure for low-power applications

In this paper we propose a triple-pocket multi-gate material TFET (TP-TFET) device structure for a low-power and high-performance circuit design. The proposed device structure integrates the good features of both the conventional MOSFET and tunnel FET. This is achieved through three doped pockets and dual work-function gate material on near the source–channel junction. In the proposed device, the ON state conduction mechanism is dominated by an over-the-barrier thermal diffusion of carriers, thereby offering a high-value drive current. On the other hand, the subthreshold conduction mechanism is dominated by the tunnelling of carriers, thereby incurring a very small leakage current and offering a small subthreshold slope. We use 2D TCAD device simulations for the analysis of the TP-TFET and its comparison with the existing pocketed-heterogate TFET (PHG-TFET). We observe that the proposed TFET offers the average subthreshold slope (SSavg) of 2.85 mV dec−1 and ON current of ∼230 µA µm−1 as compared to the existing PHG-TFET, which offers SSavg of 44.91 mV dec−1 and I ON = ∼62 µA µm−1. Further, some benchmark circuits are implemented using these devices. A ring oscillator designed using the TP-TFET shows approximately a 6× higher frequency as compared to that designed using the PHG-TFET. The power delay product of the NAND gate and NOR gate obtained using these devices differ by approximately 3× to 20× as the supply voltage is decreased from 1.0 to 0.5 V.

Drain Induced Barrier Widening and Reverse Short Channel Effects in Tunneling FETs: Investigation and Analysis

In this paper, using calibrated TCAD simulations, we demonstrate how the performance of a Tunneling FET (TFET) can be improved by using a new phenomenon called drain induced barrier widening (DIBW) at the source-channel junction. Our results indicate that TFETs in which DIBW dominates exhibit a steep subthreshold swing (≈35 mV/dec) and a low OFF-state current ( $\approx 10^{-16}\text{A}/\mu \text{m}$ ) without affecting the ON-state current. We also show that TFETs exhibit a reverse short channel effect due to an increase in the tunneling width at the source-channel junction.

Performance analysis of double-metal-gate dual-cavity dielectrically modulated-TFET as a label free biosensor

In this paper, a double metal gate dual cavity dielectrically modulated tunnel field effect transistor (DMG-DC-DMTFET) biosensor is proposed. The On and ambipolar currents of the device are used for detection of various biomolecules. The cavities, where biomolecules get immobilized are considered at both source-channel and drain-channel junctions of TFET in order to utilize ambipolar nature of TFET to detect the presence of biomolecules in an efficient way. Sensitivity improvement and reduction in Off current at higher dielectric constant of biomolecules are done by considering the gate metal work function engineering. The effect of charged and neutral biomolecules on band energy, transfer characteristics and electric field has been analyzed.

Performance Analysis of Group IV Material Based Tunnel Field Effect Transistor: Effect of Drain Splitting and Introducing Ge-Strip at Source- Channel Junction

The performance effect of splitting and abrupt doping in the drain region, use of a Ge strip at source-channel junction in group IV material based (Ge1 − xSnx/ Si1 − y − zGeySnz) Tunnel Field Effect Transistor (TFET) is investigated in the present manuscript. The variation of certain device parameters, such as mole fraction, different gate dielectrics, gate dielectric thickness and drain doping concentrations are applied to analyze the performance of proposed group IV material based TFET in terms of current-voltage (I-V) characteristics, potential profile and ION/IOFF ratio using device simulator SILVACO TCAD. The simulation results obtained for the proposed TFET structure are compared with the other TFET structures available in the literature, which shows better results as ION/IOFF ratio was received of the order of 1012 in comparison to conventional group IV material based TFET and subthreshold swing of 25.03 mV/decade, which makes the proposed structure promising for high speed switching action with low power CMOS compatibility.