Abstract
Because of the "Boltzmann tyranny" (i.e., the nonscalability of thermal voltage), a certain minimum gate voltage in metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) devices is required for a 10-fold increase in drain-to-source current. The subthreshold slope (SS) in MOS devices is, at best, 60 mV/decade at 300 K. Negative capacitance in organic/ferroelectric materials is proposed in order to address this physical limitation in MOS technology. Here, we experimentally demonstrate the steep switching behavior of a MOS device-that is, SS ∼18 mV/decade (much less than 60 mV/decade) at 300 K-by taking advantage of negative capacitance in a MOS gate stack. This negative capacitance, originating from the dynamics of the stored energy in a phase transition of a ferroelectric material, can achieve the step-up conversion of internal voltage (i.e., internal voltage amplification in a MOS device). With the aid of a series-connected negative capacitor as an assistive device, the surface potential in the MOS device becomes higher than the applied gate voltage, so that a SS of 18 mV/decade at 300 K is reliably observed.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 4553-4556 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Nano Letters |
Volume | 15 |
Issue number | 7 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2015 Jul 8 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2015 American Chemical Society.
Keywords
- ferroelectrics
- metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET)
- negative capacitance
- steep switching
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Bioengineering
- General Chemistry
- General Materials Science
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Mechanical Engineering