IOSR Journal of Electronics and Communication Engineering (IOSR-JECE)

ISSN: 2278-2834, ISBN: 2278-8735. Volume 3, Issue 6 (Nov. - Dec. 2012), PP 35-43
www.iosrjournals.org

Silicon Nanowire Based MOSFET Parameter Analysis

1
P. S. Raja, 2R. Joseph Daniel, 3Bino. N
1, 2, 3
Dept. of E & I Engineering, Annamalai University, Annamalainagar, 608002, Tamilnadu, India.

Abstract: As the conventional silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) approaches

its scaling limits many novel device structures are being extensively explored. Among them, the silicon nanowire
transistor (SNWT) has attracted broad attention from both the semiconductor industry and academia. To
understand device physics in depth and to assess the performance limits of SNWTs, simulation is becoming
increasingly important. The objectives of this paper are to assess the performance of SNWTs. A nano device
simulator called fettoy was utilized for this purpose. The various output parameters analyzed were Quantum
capacitance vs. gate voltage, Drain current vs. gate voltage, drain current vs. drain voltage, Drain induced
barrier lowering, Threshold swing, Carrier injection velocity, on current, off current, Output conductance,
Transconductance and Voltage gain for variation in input parameters like Dielectric materials, Thickness of
dielectric material, Diameter of silicon nanowire and Gate Control Parameter. Also the effect of temperature
was also studied.

I. Introduction
As the MOSFET gate length enters the nanometer regime, short channel effects (SCEs), such as
threshold voltage (VT) rolloff and Drain-Induced-Barrier-Lowering (DIBL), become increasingly significant,
which limits the scaling capability of planar bulk or Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) MOSFETs [1]. At the same
time, the relatively low carrier mobility in silicon (compared with other semiconductors) may also degrade the
MOSFET device performance (e.g., ON-current and intrinsic device delay). For these reasons, various novel
device structures and materials silicon nanowire transistors, carbon nanotube FETs, new channel materials
(e.g., strained silicon, pure germanium), molecular transistors, etc all are being extensively explored. Among all
these promising post-CMOS structures, the silicon nanowire transistor (SNWT) has its unique advantage the
SNWT is based on silicon, a material that the semiconductor industry has been working on for over thirty years;
it would be really attractive to stay on silicon and also achieve good device metrics that nanoelectronics
provides. As a result, the silicon nanowire transistor has obtained broad attention from both the semiconductor
industry and academia.
Semiconductor Nano Wires (NWs) have attracted significant interest because of their potential for a
variety of different applications, including logic and memory circuitry, photonics devices, and chemical and
biomolecular sensors. Although many different types of semiconductor NW have been investigated, silicon
NWs have become prototypical nanowire because they can be readily prepared, the Si/SiO2 interface is
chemically stable, and Si NWs are utilized in a number of device demonstrations that have well-known silicon-
technology-based counterparts. Various techniques have been developed to synthesize semiconductor NWs,
including the materials method known as Vapor-Liquid-Solid (VLS) growth and the templating method known
as super lattice nanowire pattern transfer (SNAP).

II. Silicon Nanowire MOSFET

A nanowire is a wire having its diameter of the order of a nanometer (10-9 meter). At these scales,
quantum mechanical effects are important hence such wires are also known as quantum wires[2]. The
nanowires could be used, in the near future, to link tiny components into extremely small circuits. Typical
nanowires exhibit aspect ratios (length-to-width ratio) of 1000 or more. Silicon Nanowires (SiNWs) are
currently attracting much attention as promising components for future nano-electronic devices such as
nanowire based field effect transistors, photonic and optoelectronic devices, nanowire based solar cells and NW
based chemical or biological sensors [3]. This is due to the fact that they show electronic, optical, chemical,
mechanical, and thermal properties that differ from their bulk counterparts. Bulk Si is an indirect gap material,
the SiNWs are useful one-dimensional nanostructure for tailoring its physical properties from indirect to direct
band gap.

www.iosrjournals.org 35 | Page
 Silicon Nanowire Based MOSFET Parameter Analysis

Fig.1. Structure of Silicon Nanowire transistor

Silicon nanowire transistors with various types of cross-sections are being extensively explored by a
number of experimental groups. The various cross sections are the cylindrical wire (CW), triangular wire (TW)
and rectangular wire (RW) nanowire FET as shown in fig 2, where TSi is the silicon body thickness, WSi is the
silicon body width and WWire is the wire width. For the CW FET, TSi= WSi is equal to the diameter of the circular
Si body. Triangular wire nanowire FET device was built on a Si (001) wafer and the Si body layer was etched
along the (111) surfaces, so the cross-section of the Si body becomes an isosceles triangle and the channel of the
device is <110> oriented. At the same time, different types of tri-gate/gate-all-around FETs were fabricated by
using wires with rectangular cross-sections. The diameters of these wire transistors are around 30-100nm and
the gate lengths are >50nm. In addition, we also have the cylindrical SNWT , a gate-all around structure, which
offers the optimum gate control and scaling potential among all kinds of SNWTs.

Fig. 2 The cross-sections of the various nanowire FET structures the cylindrical wire (CW), triangular wire (TW) and
rectangular wire (RW) FETs.

III. Simulation Results and Discussion

The various output parameters were studied by varying the input parameters as shown in the Table.1
Table .1 Various input parameters and their range of variations.
Input parameters Variation in parameters
Dielectric material Teflon Polyethylene SiO2 (3.9) ZrO2 (15) HfO2 TiO2
(dielectric constant) (2.1) (2.25) (25) (40)
Dielectric thickness 1.5nm 3nm 6nm 9nm
Diameter of SNW 1nm 5nm 10nm 15nm
Gate control 0.1 0.3 0.5 0.8 0.88 0.92
parameter (GCP)
Temperature 273K 300K 325K 350K 375K 400K

3.1. Quantum capacitance Vs Gate voltage

The Simulations were carried out to obtain the quantum capacitance for a sweep in gate voltage (0 to
1V) in a silicon nanowire MOSFET with Drain voltage as 1V and variations in input parameters.

www.iosrjournals.org 36 | Page
 Silicon Nanowire Based MOSFET Parameter Analysis

Fig.3. (a) Variation in Gate control parameter Fig.3. (b) Variation in Dielectric material

Fig.3. (c) Variation in Dielectric thickness Fig.3. (d) Variation in SNW diameter

Fig.3. (e) Variation in temperature

The simulation results shows that Quantum Capacitance decreases with decrease in GCP, high-k
dielectric materials, decrease in dielectric thickness, with increase in SNW diameter and with increase in
temperature.

3.2. Drain current Vs Gate voltage

Simulations were carried out to obtain Drain current for a sweep in gate voltage (0 to 1V) in a silicon
nano wire MOSFET with Drain voltage as 1V and variations in input parameters.

Fig.4. (a) Variation in Gate control parameter Fig.4. (b) Variation in Dielectric material

www.iosrjournals.org 37 | Page
 Silicon Nanowire Based MOSFET Parameter Analysis

Fig.4. (c) Variation in Dielectric thickness Fig.4. (d) Variation in SNW diameter

Fig.4. (e) Variation in temperature

The simulation results shows that the drain current increases with increase in GCP, high-k dielectric materials,
with decrease in dielectric thickness, with increase in SNW diameter and there is no appreciable variation for
change in temperature.

3.3. Drain current Vs drain voltage

Simulations were carried out to obtain Drain current for a sweep in drain voltage (0 to 1V) in a silicon
nano wire MOSFET with Gate voltage as 1V and variations in input parameters as follows

Fig.5. (a) Variation in Gate control parameter Fig.5. (b) Variation in Dielectric material

Fig.5. (c) Variation in Dielectric thickness Fig.5. (d) Variation in SNW diameter

www.iosrjournals.org 38 | Page
 Silicon Nanowire Based MOSFET Parameter Analysis

Fig.5. (e) Variation in temperature

The simulation results show that the drain current increases with increase in GCP, high-k dielectric
materials, with decrease in dielectric thickness, with increase in SNW diameter and there is no appreciable
variation for change in temperature.

3.4. Drain Induced Barrier lowering

Simulations were carried out to obtain Drain Induced Barrier lowering in a silicon nano wire MOSFET
with gate voltage as 0-1V, drain voltage as 0-1V and variations in input parameters as follows

Fig.6. (a) Variation in GCP Fig.6. (b) Variation in Dielectric material Fig.6. (c) Variation in Dielectric
thickness

Fig.6. (d) Variation in SNW diameter Fig.6. (e) Variation in temperature

The simulation results shows that the DIBL decreases with increase in GCP, high-k dielectric materials,
increase in dielectric thickness, increase in SNW diameter and it increases when increase in temperature.

3.5. Threshold swing

Simulations were carried out to obtain Threshold swing in a silicon nano wire MOSFET with gate
voltage as 0-1V and drain voltage as 0-1V and variations in input parameters as follows

Fig.7. (a) Variation in GCP Fig.7. (b) Variation in Dielectric material Fig.7. (c) Variation in Dielectric
thickness

www.iosrjournals.org 39 | Page
 Silicon Nanowire Based MOSFET Parameter Analysis

Fig.7. (d) Variation in SNW diameter Fig.7. (e) Variation in temperature

The simulation results show that threshold swing decreases with increase in GCP and high-k dielectric
materials. It increase for increase in dielectric thickness, increase in diameter (upto 10nm), with increase in
temperature.

3.6. Carrier injection velocity

Simulations were carried out to obtain carrier injection velocity in a silicon nano wire MOSFET with
gate voltage as 0-1V and drain voltage as 0-1V and variations in input parameters

Fig.8. (a) Variation in GCP Fig.8. (b) Variation in Dielectric material Fig.8. (c) Variation in Dielectric
thickness

Fig.8. (d) Variation in SNW diameter Fig.8. (e) Variation in temperature

The simulation results show that carrier injection velocity increases with increase in GCP, high-k dielectric
materials, increase in SNW diameter, increase in temperature and decreases with increase in dielectric thickness.

3.7. On current
Simulations were carried out to obtain on current in a silicon nano wire MOSFET with gate voltage as
0-1V and drain voltage as 0-1V and variations in input parameters

Fig.9. (a) Variation in GCP Fig.9. (b) Variation in Dielectric material Fig.9. (c) Variation in Dielectric
thickness

www.iosrjournals.org 40 | Page
 Silicon Nanowire Based MOSFET Parameter Analysis

Fig.9. (d) Variation in SNW diameter Fig.9. (e) Variation in temperature

The simulation results show that On current (Ion) increases with increase in GCP, high-k dielectric materials,
with increase in SNW diameter, with increase in temperature and decreases with increase in dielectric thickness.

3.8. Off current

Simulations were carried out to obtain off current in a silicon nano wire MOSFET with gate voltage as
0-1V and drain voltage as 0-1V and variations in input parameters

Fig.10. (a) Variation in GCP Fig.10. (b) Variation in Dielectric material Fig.10. (c) Variation in Dielectric
thickness

Fig.10. (d) Variation in SNW diameter Fig.10. (e) Variation in temperature

The simulation results show that off current (Ioff) increases with increase in temperature and no variation for
change in GCP, dielectrics, dielectric thickness and SNW diameter.

3.9. Output conductance

Simulations were carried out to obtain output conductance in a silicon nano wire MOSFET with gate
voltage as 0-1V and drain voltage as 0-1V and variations in input parameters

Fig.11. (a) Variation in GCP Fig.11. (b) Variation in Dielectric material Fig.11. (c) Variation in Dielectric
thickness

www.iosrjournals.org 41 | Page
 Silicon Nanowire Based MOSFET Parameter Analysis

Fig.11. (d) Variation in SNW diameter Fig.11. (e) Variation in temperature

The simulation results show that output conductance increases with increase in GCP, high-k dielectric
materials, with increase in SNW diameter and decreases with increase in dielectric thickness, with increase in
temperature.

3.10. Transconductance
Simulations were carried out to obtain transconductance in a silicon nano wire MOSFET with gate
voltage as 0-1V and drain voltage as 0-1V and variations in input parameters

Fig.12. (a) Variation in GCP Fig.12. (b) Variation in Dielectric material Fig.12. (c) Variation in Dielectric
thickness

Fig.12. (d) Variation in SNW diameter Fig.12. (e) Variation in temperature

The simulation results show that transconductance increases with increase in GCP, high-k dielectric materials,
with increase in SNW diameter and decreases with increase in dielectric thickness, with increase in temperature.

3.11. Voltage gain

Simulations were carried out to obtain voltage gain in a silicon nano wire MOSFET with gate voltage
as 0-1V and drain voltage as 0-1V and variations in input parameters

Fig.13. (a) Variation in GCP Fig.13. (b) Variation in Dielectric material Fig.13. (c) Variation in Dielectric
thickness

www.iosrjournals.org 42 | Page
 Silicon Nanowire Based MOSFET Parameter Analysis

Fig.13. (d) Variation in SNW diameter Fig.13. (e) Variation in temperature

The simulation results show that voltage gain increases with increase in GCP, high-k dielectric
materials, with increase in SNW diameter, with increase in temperature and decreases with increase in dielectric
thickness.

IV. Conclusions
The various output parameters of silicon nanowire MOSFET were studied. From the discussions of the
simulation results, we can conclude that in order to have better performance, the various input parameters
should be high GCP, High-k dielectric materials, Small dielectric thickness, Large silicon nanowire diameter
and low temperature is advisable.

References
[1] Dr.E.N.Ganesh, Kaushik Ragavan, Krishna Kumar Study and simulation of silicon nanowire field effect transistor at subthreshold
conditions using high k dielectric layer at room temperature GESJ: Physics 2010
[2] Nagsen Meshram Synthesis and characterization of silicon nanowire using Hot Wire Chemical Vapour deposition
[3] Yi Cui, Zhaohui Zhong, Deli Wang, Wayne U. Wang, and Charles M. Lieber High Performance Silicon Nanowire Field Effect
Transistors nano letters 2003
[4] www.nanohub.org

www.iosrjournals.org 43 | Page