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ZrOx Negative Capacitance Field-Effect Transistor with Sub-60 Subthreshold Swing Behavior
Siqing Zhang1, Huan Liu1, Jiuren Zhou1
1State Key Discipline Laboratory of Wide Band Gap Semiconductor Technology, School of Microelectronics, Xidian University, Xi'an, 710071, China.
Nanoscale Research Letters
|February 3, 2021
Summary
Zirconium oxide (ZrOx)-based negative capacitance field-effect transistors (NCFETs) demonstrate a low subthreshold swing, enabling voltage-scalable NCFET applications. This research highlights the role of oxygen vacancy dipoles in achieving ferroelectric-like behavior for enhanced device performance.
Area of Science:
- Solid State Physics
- Materials Science
- Semiconductor Device Physics
Background:
- Negative capacitance (NC) effect in field-effect transistors (FETs) offers a pathway to overcome the Boltzmann limit for subthreshold swing (SS).
- Ferroelectric materials exhibiting NC behavior are crucial for developing low-power, voltage-scalable electronic devices.
- Oxygen vacancy dipoles are investigated as a potential mechanism for inducing ferroelectric-like properties in dielectric films.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate Zirconium oxide (ZrOx)-based NCFETs for improved voltage scalability in NCFET applications.
- To explore the origin of ferroelectric-like behavior in Ge/ZrOx/TaN capacitors, attributing it to oxygen vacancy dipoles.
- To demonstrate the NC effect in amorphous HfO2 and ZrOx films and compare its suppression in Al2O3/HfO2 NCFETs.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication and characterization of ZrOx-based NCFETs and control devices.
- Capacitor structures (Ge/ZrOx/TaN) were used to study ferroelectric-like behavior.
- Analysis of gate leakage current, negative differential resistance (NDR), drain-induced current (IDS) enhancement, and subthreshold swing (SS).
Main Results:
- ZrOx-based NCFETs achieved a low SS of 45.06 mV/decade under a ±1 V VGS range.
- The NC effect was confirmed by a sudden drop in gate leakage, NDR, IDS enhancement, and sub-60 mV/decade SS.
- 5 nm ZrOx-based NCFETs exhibited a clockwise hysteresis of 0.24 V, SS < 60 mV/decade, and 12% IDS enhancement compared to control devices.
- Suppressed NC effect in Al2O3/HfO2 NCFETs was linked to partial switching of oxygen vacancy dipoles due to interfacial dipoles.
Conclusions:
- ZrOx-based NCFETs show significant potential for future voltage-scalable NCFET applications.
- Oxygen vacancy dipoles are proposed as the primary mechanism for the observed ferroelectric-like behavior in these devices.
- Understanding interfacial effects is crucial for optimizing NC performance, as demonstrated by the comparison between ZrOx and Al2O3/HfO2 NCFETs.
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