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Replacing Doping in Nano-Silicon: Ultimate Miniaturization, Energy Efficiency, and Cryo-Functionality.

Dirk König^1,2, Michael Frentzen², Noël Wilck²

¹Department of Material Physics, Research School of Physics, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.

ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces

|September 3, 2025

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A new method called Nanoscale Electronic Structure Shift Induced by Anions at Surfaces (NESSIAS) enables further miniaturization of silicon-based very large scale integration (VLSI) devices. This breakthrough overcomes doping limits, paving the way for more energy-efficient computing and quantum applications.

Area of Science:

Materials Science
Condensed Matter Physics
Nanotechnology

Background:

Current silicon-based very large scale integration (VLSI) devices face miniaturization limits due to hard entropy limits of impurity doping.
This obstruction hinders the development of more energy-efficient VLSI designs with increased compute power and yield.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate a novel approach for overcoming miniaturization limits in nanoscale silicon.
To demonstrate a method for creating p/n junctions in intrinsic silicon at the nanoscale using surface functionalization.
To explore the potential for enhanced energy efficiency and functionality in future VLSI devices.

Main Methods:

Synchrotron UV photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy in total fluorescence yield mode (XAS-TFY) were used to characterize nanoscale intrinsic silicon (i-nano-Si) embedded in silicon nitride (Si3N4) or silicon dioxide (SiO2).

Keywords:

FET VLSI cryo-electronics intrinsic nanosilicon p/n junction ultralow power

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Hybrid density functional theory (h-DFT) calculations were performed to model silicon nanowire field-effect transistors (FETs) and analyze electronic structures.

A mesoscopic band model was developed based on experimental and computational data.

Main Results:

Embedding i-nano-Si in Si3N4 or SiO2 induced strong p-type or n-type behavior, respectively, through a phenomenon termed Nanoscale Electronic Structure Shift Induced by Anions at Surfaces (NESSIAS).
NESSIAS creates p/n junctions in i-nano-Si via quantum-chemical interactions with surface coatings, establishing energy landscapes for charge carrier accumulation.
h-DFT calculations confirmed stable electronic structures in Si NWire FETs down to 3 nm gate lengths, and the mesoscopic band model validated the NESSIAS impact on generating p/n homojunctions.

Conclusions:

NESSIAS presents a paradigm shift for silicon-based VLSI, removing miniaturization limits and enabling faster charge carrier transport.
This approach significantly reduces energy demand and heat generation, crucial for ultralow power VLSI.
The technology facilitates full cryo-functionality, opening possibilities for quantum computing applications.