[paper] LF Noise Characterization of Ge n-Channel FinFETs

Alberto V. de Oliveira (Member, IEEE), Duan Xie (Member, IEEE), Hiroaki Arimura, Guillaume Boccardi, Nadine Collaert, Cor Claeys (Fellow, IEEE), Naoto Horiguchi (Member, IEEE)

and Eddy Simoen (Senior Member, IEEE_

Low-Frequency Noise Characterization of Germanium n-Channel FinFETs

IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, vol. 67, no. 7, pp. 2872-2877, July 2020

DOI: 10.1109/TED.2020.2990714

Abstract: This article presents an experimental, room temperature, low-frequency noise characterization of germanium n-channel fin-field-effect transistors (finFETs) integrated on silicon. After determining the dominant mechanism in the noise spectrum, the main parameters associated with the noise mechanism are extracted and evaluated as a function of fin width from a planar-like (100 nm) up to narrow fin (20 nm) for 1-µm length devices. The main findings are that the 1/f noise plays an important role in the Ge n-finFETs, whereby the trap density profiles in the gate-stack are quite uniform and have a lower level than in n-/p-channel Ge planar MOSFETs. In addition, a generation-recombination (GR) component was found in 160-nm-length devices, which is caused by GR centers located in the depletion region.

Fig: (a) Schematic of the Ge  n-finFET structure 

and (b) gate-stack composition

Fig: Drain current noise power spectral density as a function of frequency 

for a 160nm long Ge n-finFET

Acknowledgment: The authors would like to thank the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) and the Logic IIAP program for the support. This work has been performed in the frame of the imec Core Partner program on Ge devices.