Germanium–Tin P-Channel Tunneling Field-Effect Transistor: Device Design and Technology Demonstration

Author

Yue Yang ; Genquan Han ; Pengfei Guo ; Wei Wang ; Xiao Gong ; Lanxiang Wang ; Kain Lu Low ; Yee-Chia Yeo

Author_Institution

Dept. of Electr. & Comput. Eng., Nat. Univ. of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

Volume

60

Issue

12

fYear

2013

fDate

Dec. 2013

Firstpage

4048

Lastpage

4056

Abstract

We report the demonstration of germanium-tin (GeSn) p-channel tunneling field-effect transistor (p-TFET) with good device performance in terms of on-state current (I_on). With the incorporation of Sn, the conduction band minima at Γ-point of GeSn alloy shift down, increasing the direct band-to-band tunneling (BTBT) generation rate at the source-channel tunneling junction in TFET. In addition, n-type dopant activation temperature of below 400 °C can be used in GeSn, which is much lower than that in Ge (700 °C). Therefore, n-type dopant diffusion in GeSn is suppressed leading to an abrupt n⁺ tunneling junction that is favorable for the source junction of a p-TFET. Lateral Ge_0.958Sn_0.042 p-TFETs were fabricated and high Ion of 29 μA/μm at V_GS = V_DS = -2 V and 4.34 μA/μm at V_GS = V_DS = -1 V is achieved.

Keywords

field effect transistors; germanium alloys; tunnel transistors; Γ-point; BTBT generation rate; Ge_0.958Sn_0.042; GeSn; conduction band minima; device design; direct band-to-band tunneling generation rate; n-type dopant activation temperature; n-type dopant diffusion; on-state current; p-TFET; p-channel tunneling field-effect transistor; source-channel tunneling junction; technology demonstration; voltage -1 V; voltage -2 V; Hafnium compounds; Junctions; Logic gates; Photonic band gap; Silicon; Tin; Tunneling; Band-to-band tunneling; direct bandgap; germanium-tin; p-channel tunneling field-effect transistor (p-TFET);

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Electron Devices, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0018-9383

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/TED.2013.2287031

Filename

6656859