Although carbon nanotube (CNT) transistors have been promoted for years as a replacement for silicon technology, there is limited theoretical work and no experimental reports on how nanotubes will perform at sub-10 nm channel lengths. In this manuscript, we demonstrate the first sub-10 nm CNT transistor, which is shown to outperform the best competing silicon devices with more than four times the diameter-normalized current density (2.41 mA/μm) at a low operating voltage of 0.5 V. The nanotube transistor exhibits an impressively small inverse subthreshold slope of 94 mV/decade-nearly half of the value expected from a previous theoretical study. Numerical simulations show the critical role of the metal-CNT contacts in determining the performance of sub-10 nm channel length transistors, signifying the need for more accurate theoretical modeling of transport between the metal and nanotube. The superior low-voltage performance of the sub-10 nm CNT transistor proves the viability of nanotubes for consideration in future aggressively scaled transistor technologies.

Sub-10 nm carbon nanotube transistor.

Rise of silicene: A competitive 2D material

A method of forming an integrated circuit using an amorphous carbon film. The amorphous carbon film is formed by thermally decomposing a gas mixture comprising a hydrocarbon compound and an inert gas. The amorphous carbon film is compatible with integrated circuit fabrication processes. In one integrated circuit fabrication process, the amorphous carbon film is used as a hardmask. In another integrated circuit fabrication process, the amorphous carbon film is an anti-reflective coating (ARC) for deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography. In yet another integrated circuit fabrication process, a multi-layer amorphous carbon anti-reflective coating is used for DUV lithography.

Method of depositing an amorphous carbon layer

A method and system are described to reduce process variation as a result of the semiconductor processing of films in integrated circuit manufacturing processes. The described methods use process variation and electrical impact to modify the design and manufacture of integrated circuits.

Characterization adn reduction of variation for integrated circuits

High-performance top-gated carbon nanotube field-effect transistors (CNT FETs) with a gate length of 5 nanometers can be fabricated that perform better than silicon complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) FETs at the same scale. A scaling trend study revealed that the scaled CNT-based devices, which use graphene contacts, can operate much faster and at much lower supply voltage (0.4 versus 0.7 volts) and with much smaller subthreshold slope (typically 73 millivolts per decade). The 5-nanometer CNT FETs approached the quantum limit of FETs by using only one electron per switching operation. In addition, the contact length of the CNT CMOS devices was also scaled down to 25 nanometers, and a CMOS inverter with a total pitch size of 240 nanometers was also demonstrated.

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/355/6322/271.full.pdf

Scaling carbon nanotube complementary transistors to 5-nm gate lengths

While the selection of new "backbone" device structure in the era of post-planar CMOS is open to a few candidates, FinFET and its variants show great potential in scalability and manufacturability for nanoscale CMOS In this paper we report the design, fabrication, performance, and integration issues of double-gate FinFETs with the physical gate length being aggressively shrunk down to 10 nm and the fin width down to 12 nm These MOSFETs are believed to be the smallest double-gate transistors ever fabricated Excellent short-channel performance is observed in devices with a wide range of gate lengths (10/spl sim/105 nm) The observed short-channel behavior outperforms any reported single-gate silicon MOSFETs Due to the [110] channel crystal orientation, hole mobility in the fabricated p-channel FinFET exceeds greatly that in a traditional planar MOSFET At 105 nm gate length, the p-channel FinFET shows a record-high transconductance of 633 /spl mu/S//spl mu/m at a V/sub dd/ of 12 V Working CMOS FinFET inverters are also demonstrated

/pdf/finfet-scaling-to-10-nm-gate-length-2bejw0rpgu.pdf

FinFET scaling to 10 nm gate length

A process for fabricating a semiconductor device includes the formation of a hard-mask using lithographic techniques followed by a selective silicidation reaction process to reduce the lateral dimension of the hard-mask. The silicidation reaction is carried out by selectively reacting a reaction layer situated between an etch-stop layer and a reaction resistant layer. Upon completion of the chemical reaction process, the etch-stop layer and the reaction resistant layer is removed, and a residual layer of unreacted material is then used as a mask for the formation of a device component. The lateral dimension of the residual layer can be substantially less than that achievable by optical lithographic techniques.

Process for fabricating a semiconductor device component using a selective silicidation reaction

A bi-layer trim etch process to form integrated circuit gate structures can include depositing an organic underlayer over a layer of polysilicon, depositing an imaging layer over the organic underlayer, patterning the imaging layer, selectively trim etching the organic underlayer to form a pattern, and removing portions of the polysilicon layer using the pattern formed from the removed portions of organic underlayer. Thus, the use of thin imaging layer, that has high etch selectivity to the organic underlayer, allows the use of trim etch techniques without a risk of resist erosion or the aspect ratio pattern collapse. That, in turn, allows for the formation of the gate pattern with widths less than the widths of the pattern of the imaging layer.

Bi-layer trim etch process to form integrated circuit gate structures

A method for an integrated circuit includes the use of an amorphous carbon ARC mask A layer of amorphous carbon material is deposited above a layer of conductive material, and a layer of anti-reflective coating (ARC) material is deposited over the layer of amorphous carbon material The layer of amorphous carbon material and the layer of ARC material are etched to form a mask comprising an ARC material portion and an amorphous carbon portion A feature may then be formed in the layer of conductive material by etching the layer of conductive material in accordance with the mask

Modified film stack and patterning strategy for stress compensation and prevention of pattern distortion in amorphous carbon gate patterning

A method of forming spaces between polysilicon lines can include patterning structures having top SiON layers and bottom amorphous carbon layers where the structures are located over a polysilicon layer and are separated by a first width, forming amorphous carbon spacers along lateral side walls of the patterned structures, etching apertures into the polysilicon layer not covered by the amorphous carbon spacers and the patterned structures where the apertures in the polysilicon layer between adjacent patterned structures have a second width, and ashing away the amorphous carbon spacers and the patterned structures. The second width is less than the first width.

Scott A. Bell

Papers

FinFET scaling to 10 nm gate length

Process for fabricating a semiconductor device component using a selective silicidation reaction

Bi-layer trim etch process to form integrated circuit gate structures

Modified film stack and patterning strategy for stress compensation and prevention of pattern distortion in amorphous carbon gate patterning

Method of forming sub-lithographic spaces between polysilicon lines