VLSI beyond CMOS devices: Nano, Single electron and spintronic devices

Subir Kumar Sarkar Department of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering, Jadavpur University, Kolkata-700 032

Introduction: The structural complexity of VLSI chip has been increasing at an exponential rate over the last thirty years. The phenomenal growth rate sustained primarily by the constant advances in manufacturing technology, as well as by the increasing need for integrating more complex functions on chip. Answering the needs of rapidly rising chip complexity has created significant challenges and aided the development of many areas, e.g. development of computer aided design (CAD) tools, chip design, fabrication, packaging, testing and reliability qualification. The main objective, however, remains device miniaturization. Device miniaturization results in reduced unit cost per function and in improved performance. As a result, the cost per bit of memory chips has almost halved every two years for successive generation of random access memories. Cost of logic ICs also have gone down. As device dimension decreases, the intrinsic switching time in MOSFETs deceases linearly, since the intrinsic delay is given approximately by the channel length divided by the carrier velocity. The device speed has improved by four orders of magnitude since 1960s. Higher speeds lead to expanded IC functional throughput rates. Another benefit of miniaturization is the reduction of power consumption. These possibilities have inspired the VLSI industry to look into the future with the vision of exploring different prospects, which are already in the offing. Due to size limitations, even with the scaling down, MOSFET technology cannot continue forever. It can hardly go beyond a few nanometers, even if adequate lithographical technology is available. As a consequence, the search for new principles of operation of the small size devices is becoming more and more important. The alternative devices are single electronics and spintronic devices. Each one of such devices have its own merits and demerits. We shall go through them gradually. Nanodevices: With the development of semiconductor technology, it has recently become possible to fabricate laterally defined nanostructures, such as quantum wells, wires and dots. Properties of electrons in such structures have attracted a wide interest because of their importance both in physics and device applications. They quantum mechanically restrict the degrees of freedom of the conduction electrons to two, one or zero. This change in the effective dimensionality offers fascinating changes in electronic, magnetic, optical and vibrational properties.

Advantages of Nanodevices: Modeling: Considered all relevant scattering mechanisms, hot electron condition is considered, carrier distribution is considered to be heated Fermi-Dirac: Electron temperature model is used. Carrier energy and momention balance equations are solved to get the desired parameters. Curves to be discussed: Mobility ratio versus frequency of the applied field. AC mobility versus channel length and carrier connection Cut off frequency versus channel length, carrier concentration, lattice and dc biasing field. Limitation of analytical studies: It appears that the analytical studies of Nanodevices cannot predict the best parameters for better nanodevices at a time. Hence, it is very suitable to show the variation of device characteristics with the change of one parameter with the typical values of other parameters. Hence to predict the best parameters at a time it is better to think over some special computational techniques. As an attempt towards brain computing, adaptive intelligent controls, by neural networks and genetic algorithm systems are studied. Result of soft computing tool: The application of soft computing tools is a new area of research. The optimized system parameters presented here, (several tables) predict the better performance of nanostructures in the microwave and millimeter wave regime and can be used to analyze the experimental data when they will appear in the literature. Limitation of nanodevices: Material and processing related limitation (doping fluctuation, avalanche breakdown, MOS interface instability, electro migration, stress migration, interface reaction etc.) Power limitation Wiring limitation Quantum mechanical limitation (quantum fluctuation, failure of devices and device isolation due to tunneling) System architecture limitation

Next alternative: Single electron devices: Introduction Advantages of single electron devices Realization of logic gates Realization of sequence

Limitation of single electron devices: Room temperature realization of single electron devices is not yet possible Realization of some digital functions using single electron devices

Other alternative: Spintronics is the generic for spin based electronic devices, which uses the spin degree of freedom instead of charge for processing and as such offers opportunities for a new generation of devices combining standard microelectronics with spin-dependant effects that arise from the interaction between spin of the carrier and the magnetic properties of the material. The interest in Spintronics devices is motivated by the anticipated low power consumption, higher degree of functionality, increased data processing speed and increased integration densities compared with conventional semiconductor devices. Traditional approaches using spin are based on the alignment of a spin (either up or down) relative to a reference (an applied magnetic field or magnetization orientation of the ferromagnetic film). Device operations then proceed with some quantity (electrical current) that depends in a predictable way on the degree of alignment. Realization of some digital functions using spintronic devices: Conclusions: Due to the size limitation even with scaling down of the MOSFET technology cannot continue forever. . It will hardly go beyond a few nm, even if adequate lithographical technology will be available. As a consequence, the search for the new principles of operation of the small-size devices is becoming more and more important. They possess radically different properties from those of bulk semiconductors. This change in the effective dimensionality offers fascinating changes in electric, magnetic, optical and vibrational properties. The electron mobility is high in those devices Researches on the (nanodevices) quantum devices continue to be both challenging and exciting as novel structures with different material having different properties are developed. They are useful for millimeter and sub millimeter wave applications They have potential advantages that make them attractive for nonlinear functions It is possible to realize high-frequency , low-power consuming and lowdimensional devices. Application of soft computing tool can help in the optimization of system parameter of the quantum (nanodevice) devices to get devices of desired characteristics. On line optimization during fabrication

But quantum devices have inherent limitations material and process related limitation.

power limitation wiring limitation quantum mechanical limitation and system architecture limitation The most likely candidate for future ultra - dense digital circuits. A single electron is sufficient to store information. The power consumption is drastically reduced. Ultimate form of the electron device. The speed power product is predicted to lie close to the quantum limit. The processing speed of such device will be nearly equal to electronic speed. The exquisite sensitivity is about five orders of magnitude higher. The integration density is higher than that present in VLSI / ULSI level.