Project description
3D integration with Te-based transistors to overcome silicon integrated circuit limits
As silicon reaches its physical limits, improving integrated circuits by shrinking transistor sizes, as dictated by Moore’s law, becomes significantly more challenging. Monolithic 3D integration offers a solution by stacking transistors without damaging the underlying layers. 2D semiconductors show promise for these stacked transistors, especially n-type devices. However, p-type devices lag behind owing to high contact resistance and Schottky barriers with wide bandgap 2D semiconductors. Tellurium (Te) shows potential for p-type transistors, offering better valence band access and performance. Funded by the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions programme, the BEOLTPT project aims to advance Te-based p-type devices, focusing on Van der Waals contacts, CMOS logic circuit performance and monolithic 3D integration prospects.
Objective
The performance enhancement of integrated circuits relying on the downscaling of transistor dimensions following Moore’s law is becoming more and more challenging as silicon is reaching its physical limit. Thus, monolithic 3D integration has been considered as a powerful method to improve system performance further.
This requires that transistors be stacked on top of each other at back-end-of-line (BEOL) compatible temperatures to avoid degradation of underlying devices. Two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors are promising candidates for such BEOL transistors but most advancements in terms of device performance and reliable BEOL integration concern n-type devices, while p-type is still lagging behind. Hence, better p-type BEOL transistors are highly sought after to enable complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology. One of several challenges for p-type devices is contact resistance because wide band gap 2D semiconductors typically have large Schottky barriers between the metal contact and their valence band. Tellurium (Te) and its compounds have recently been identified as promising candidates for BEOL p-type 2D transistors, which offer decent access to their valence bands, integration at BEOL-compatible temperatures, and good material prospects for device performance. However, research on such devices is still in its infancy, and drive current, stability (passivation), and contact resistance still need improvements. Thus, in this work, we propose to advance the research in Te-based p-type devices. In particular, we will experimentally explore the potential of 2D material van der Waals contacts. Furthermore, we will evaluate the CMOS logic circuit performance coupling with its n-type counterpart and the prospects of our devices for monolithic 3D integration through simulation.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. This project's classification has been validated by the project's team.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. This project's classification has been validated by the project's team.
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineering
- engineering and technologynanotechnologynano-materialstwo-dimensional nanostructures
- natural sciencesphysical scienceselectromagnetism and electronicssemiconductivity
- natural scienceschemical sciencesinorganic chemistrymetalloids
Keywords
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Main Programme
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European FellowshipsCoordinator
79098 Freiburg
Germany