Hafnium transistor design for neural interfacing

Area of Science:

• Semiconductor Device Design
• Bioelectronics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Neural recording circuitry requires specialized transistors with high DC gain.
• Traditional design flows can be complex and time-consuming.
• Hafnium oxide offers potential advantages due to its high dielectric constant.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a design methodology for hafnium oxide field-effect transistors (FETs) for neural recording.
• To correlate DC gain with structural properties using the EKV model and g(m)/ID biasing.
• To enable a streamlined design flow from 1-D equations to TCAD simulations.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the EKV model and g(m)/ID biasing technique for transistor design.
• Employed 1-D equations and Metal Insulator Semiconductor (MIS) capacitor TCAD simulations for initial gain optimization.
• Verified transistor properties using 2-D TCAD simulations.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated that higher dielectric constant of hafnium oxide leads to increased DC gain for a given oxide thickness.
• Optimized DC gain of common source amplifiers through a hierarchical simulation approach.
• Showcased the utility of MIS capacitors for evaluating dielectric stability and ionic penetration.

Conclusions:

• The proposed design methodology facilitates efficient optimization of hafnium oxide FETs for neural recording applications.
• The approach allows for early-stage gain prediction and verification, reducing design iterations.
• Hafnium oxide transistors designed with this methodology show promise for advanced bioelectronic interfaces.