Silicon nanowire tunneling field-effect transistors

We demonstrate the implementation of tunneling field-effect transistors (TFETs) based on silicon nanowires (NWs) that were grown using the vapor-liquid-solid growth method. The Si NWs contain p-i- n+ segments that were achieved by in situ doping using phosphine and diborane as the n - and p -type dopant source, respectively. Electrical measurements of the TFETs show a band-to-band tunneling branch in the transfer characteristics. Furthermore, an increase in the on-state current and a decrease in the inverse subthreshold slope upon reducing the gate oxide thickness are measured. This matches theoretical calculations using a Wenzel Kramer Brillouin approximation with nanowire diameter and oxide thickness as input parameters. © 2008 American Institute of Physics.