Ultra-Efficient and Robust Auto-Nonvolatile Schmitt Trigger-Based Latch Design Using Ferroelectric CNTFET Technology

Area of Science:

• Nanoscale electronics and circuit design.
• Solid-state physics and materials science.
• Advanced semiconductor device engineering.

Background:

• Schmitt triggers (STs) are crucial for noise immunity in nanoscale circuits.
• Existing ST designs often require complex structures and lack nonvolatility.
• Ferroelectric carbon nanotube field-effect transistors (Fe-CNTFETs) offer unique properties for novel circuit applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and validate an ultracompact Schmitt trigger (ST) using Fe-CNTFETs.
• To demonstrate the nonvolatile operation and soft error hardening capabilities of the proposed ST.
• To achieve significant reductions in transistor count and energy consumption.

Main Methods:

• Design of a two-transistor ST utilizing the negative capacitance effect of Fe-CNTFETs.
• Implementation of a robust ST latch with inherent soft error hardening.
• Extensive circuit simulations to evaluate performance metrics including transistor count, energy savings, and critical charge tolerance.

Main Results:

• The proposed ST latch uses an average of 34% fewer transistors and achieves 79% greater energy savings compared to conventional designs.
• Demonstrated 5.6 times higher average critical charge tolerance, indicating enhanced robustness against single-event upsets (SEUs).
• Achieved auto-nonvolatility, providing immunity to sudden power outages without additional components.

Conclusions:

• Fe-CNTFET technology enables the design of ultracompact, energy-efficient, and nonvolatile ST latches.
• The proposed ST latch offers superior performance and resilience, paving the way for advanced nanoscale systems.
• This work highlights new possibilities for designing robust nonvolatile memory elements using ferroelectric nanodevices.