Sub-5 nm Ultrathin In₂O₃ Transistors for High-Performance and Low-Power Electronic Applications.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Condensed Matter Physics
• Nanoelectronics

Background:

• Ultrathin oxide semiconductors are crucial for back-end-of-line (BEOL) compatible transistors and 3D integration.
• Indium oxide (In2O3) ultrathin field-effect transistors (FETs) demonstrate exceptional performance, with thicknesses down to 0.4 nm achieving high drain current and transconductance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the performance limits of sub-5 nm gate length (Lg) ultrathin In2O3 FETs using ab initio quantum transport simulation.
• To evaluate the potential of ultrathin In2O3 for both high-performance (HP) and low-power (LP) electronics based on International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) criteria.

Main Methods:

• Ab initio quantum transport simulations were employed to analyze ultrathin In2O3 FETs.
• Performance metrics including on-state current, delay time, and power dissipation were assessed against ITRS criteria.

Main Results:

• Ultrathin In2O3 FETs can achieve a scaling limit of 2 nm for HP devices, meeting ITRS criteria for on-state current, delay time, and power dissipation.
• The wide bandgap (3.0 eV) of ultrathin In2O3 allows for LP electronics with Lg down to 3 nm.
• Both HP and LP ultrathin In2O3 FETs exhibit superior energy-delay products compared to MoS2 and MoTe2.

Conclusions:

• Ultrathin In2O3 FETs show significant promise for advanced nanoelectronic applications.
• These devices offer a compelling alternative for future high-performance and low-power integrated circuits.