Abstract:
Enhancement mode gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductor devices having a composite high-k metal gate stack and methods of fabricating such devices are described. In an example, a semiconductor device includes a gallium nitride (GaN) channel region disposed above a substrate. A gate stack is disposed on the GaN channel region. The gate stack includes a composite gate dielectric layer disposed directly between the GaN channel region and a gate electrode. The composite gate dielectric layer includes a high band gap Group III-N layer, a first high-K dielectric oxide layer, and a second high-K dielectric oxide layer having a higher dielectric constant than the first high-K dielectric oxide layer. Source/drain regions are disposed on either side of the GaN channel region.
Abstract:
An embodiment of the invention includes an epitaxial layer that directly contacts, for example, a nanowire, fin, or pillar in a manner that allows the layer to relax with two or three degrees of freedom. The epitaxial layer may be included in a channel region of a transistor. The nanowire, fin, or pillar may be removed to provide greater access to the epitaxial layer. Doing so may allow for a “all-around gate” structure where the gate surrounds the top, bottom, and sidewalls of the epitaxial layer. Other embodiments are described herein.
Abstract:
Techniques are disclosed for forming an integrated circuit including a capacitor having a multilayer dielectric stack. For example, the capacitor may be a metal-insulator-metal capacitor (MIMcap), where the stack of dielectric layers is used for the insulator or ‘I’ portion of the MIM structure. In some cases, the composite or multilayer stack for the insulator portion of the MIM structure may include a first oxide layer, a dielectric layer, a second oxide layer, and a high-k dielectric layer, as will be apparent in light of this disclosure. Further, the multilayer dielectric stack may include an additional high-k dielectric layer, for example. Use of such multilayer dielectric stacks can enable increases in capacitance density and/or breakdown voltage for a MIMcap device. Further, use of a multilayer dielectric stack can enable tuning of the breakdown and capacitance characteristics as desired. Other embodiments may be described and/or disclosed.
Abstract:
Techniques are disclosed for transistor gate trench engineering to decrease capacitance and resistance. Sidewall spacers, sometimes referred to as gate spacers, or more generally, spacers, may be formed on either side of a transistor gate to help lower the gate-source/drain capacitance. Such spacers can define a gate trench after dummy gate materials are removed from between the spacers to form the gate trench region during a replacement gate process, for example. In some cases, to reduce resistance inside the gate trench region, techniques can be performed to form a multilayer gate or gate electrode, where the multilayer gate includes a first metal and a second metal above the first metal, where the second metal includes lower electrical resistivity properties than the first metal. In some cases, to reduce capacitance inside a transistor gate trench, techniques can be performed to form low-k dielectric material on the gate trench sidewalls.
Abstract:
Techniques are disclosed herein for ferroelectric-based field-effect transistors (FETs) with threshold voltage (VT) switching for enhanced RF switch transistor on-state and off-state performance. Employing a ferroelectric gate dielectric layer that can switch between two ferroelectric states enables a higher VT during the transistor off-state (VT,hi) and a lower VT during the transistor on-state (VT,lo). Accordingly, the transistor on-state resistance (Ron) can be maintained low due to the available relatively high gate overdrive (Vg,on−VT,lo) while still handling a relatively high maximum RF power in the transistor off-state due to the high VT,hi −Vg,off value. Thus, the Ron of an RF switch transistor can be improved without sacrificing maximum RF power, and/or vice versa, the maximum RF power can be improved without sacrificing the Ron. A ferroelectric layer (e.g., including HfxZryO) can be formed between a transistor gate dielectric layer and gate electrode to achieve such benefits.
Abstract:
Techniques are disclosed for forming a heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) that includes a laterally grown epitaxial (LEO) base layer that is disposed between corresponding emitter and collector layers. Laterally growing the base layer of the HBT improves electrical and physical contact between electrical contacts to associated portions of the HBT device (e.g., a collector). By improving the quality of electrical and physical contact between a layer of an HBT device and corresponding electrical contacts, integrated circuits using HBTs are better able to operate at gigahertz frequency switching rates used for modern wireless communications.
Abstract:
Techniques are disclosed for forming resonator devices using epitaxially grown piezoelectric films. Given the epitaxy, the films are single crystal or monocrystalline. In some cases, the piezoelectric layer of the resonator device may be an epitaxial III-V layer such as an Aluminum Nitride, Gallium Nitride, or other group III material-nitride (III-N) compound film grown as a part of a single crystal III-V material stack. In an embodiment, the III-V material stack includes, for example, a single crystal AlN layer and a single crystal GaN layer, although any other suitable single crystal piezoelectric materials can be used. An interdigitated transducer (IDT) electrode is provisioned on the piezoelectric layer and defines the operating frequency of the filter. A plurality of the resonator devices can be used to enable filtering specific different frequencies on the same substrate (by varying dimensions of the IDT electrodes).
Abstract:
Techniques are disclosed herein for ferroelectric-based field-effect transistors (FETs) with threshold voltage (VT) switching for enhanced RF switch transistor on-state and off-state performance. Employing a ferroelectric gate dielectric layer that can switch between two ferroelectric states enables a higher VT during the transistor off-state (VT,hi) and a lower VT during the transistor on-state (VT,lo). Accordingly, the transistor on-state resistance (Ron) can be maintained low due to the available relatively high gate overdrive (Vg,on−VT,lo) while still handling a relatively high maximum RF power in the transistor off-state due to the high VT,hi−Vg,off value. Thus, the Ron of an RF switch transistor can be improved without sacrificing maximum RF power, and/or vice versa, the maximum RF power can be improved without sacrificing the Ron. A ferroelectric layer (e.g., including HfxZryO) can be formed between a transistor gate dielectric layer and gate electrode to achieve such benefits.
Abstract:
Techniques are disclosed for forming transistors including retracted raised source/drain (S/D) to reduce parasitic capacitance. In some cases, the techniques include forming ledges for S/D epitaxial regrowth on a high-quality crystal nucleation surface. The techniques may also include forming the raised sections of the S/D regions (e.g., the portions adjacent to spacer material between the S/D regions and the gate material) in a manner such that the S/D raised sections are retracted from the gate material. This can be achieved by forming a notch at the interface between a polarization charge inducing layer and an oxide layer using a wet etch process, such that a relatively high-quality surface of the polarization charge inducing layer material is exposed for S/D regrowth. Therefore, the benefits derived from growing the S/D material from a high-quality nucleation surface can be retained while reducing the parasitic overlap capacitance penalty that would otherwise be present.
Abstract:
Envelope-tracking control techniques are disclosed for highly-efficient radio frequency (RF) power amplifiers. In some cases, a III-V semiconductor material (e.g., GaN or other group III material-nitride (III-N) compounds) MOSFET including a high-k gate dielectric may be used to achieve such highly-efficient RF power amplifiers. The use of a high-k gate dielectric can help to ensure low gate leakage and provide high input impedance for RF power amplifiers. Such high input impedance enables the use of envelope-tracking control techniques that include gate voltage (Vg) modulation of the III-V MOSFET used for the RF power amplifier. In such cases, being able to modulate Vg of the RF power amplifier using, for example, a voltage regulator, can result in double-digit percentage gains in power-added efficiency (PAE). In some instances, the techniques may simultaneously utilize envelope-tracking control techniques that include drain voltage (Vd) modulation of the III-V MOSFET used for the RF power amplifier.