SiGe Channel CMOS: Understanding Dielectric Breakdown and Bias Temperature Instability Tradeoffs

Abstract

Breakdown and bias temperature instability for n/pFETs are studied on a wide composition of SiGe channels on different strain relaxation buffers. This study represents the first in-depth look at AC/DC PBTI trends of low Ge% SiGe nFinFETs. Dielectric breakdown is shown to be largely independent of channel composition over the region studied. Finally, we calculate the end-of-life performance benefit compared to Si, demonstrating the potential benefit of CMOS SiGe as a technology element.