Scaled indium oxide transistors fabricated using atomic layer deposition

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the fabrication of ultra-scaled indium oxide transistors with atomic layer deposition, achieving very short channels and low thickness, resulting in high current and transconductance, suitable for advanced integrated circuits.

Contribution

It introduces atomic-layer-deposited indium oxide transistors with sub-10 nm channels, showcasing their potential as scalable, compatible alternatives to silicon in future transistors.

Findings

Channel lengths down to 8 nm achieved

High on-state current of 3.1 A/mm at 0.5 V

Transconductance of 1.5 S/mm at 1 V

Abstract

In order to continue to improve integrated circuit performance and functionality, scaled transistors with short channel lengths and low thickness are needed. But the further scaling of silicon-based devices and the development of alternative semiconductor channel materials that are compatible with current fabrication processes is challenging. Here we report atomic-layer-deposited indium oxide transistors with channel lengths down to 8 nm, channel thicknesses down to 0.5 nm and equivalent dielectric oxide thickness down to 0.84 nm. Due to the scaled device dimensions and low contact resistance, the devices exhibit high on-state currents of 3.1 A/mm at a drain voltage of 0.5 V and a transconductance of 1.5 S/mm at a drain voltage 1 V. Our devices are a promising alternative channel material for scaled transistors with back-end-of-line processing compatibility.