MODELLING OF CARBON NANOTUBE FIELD EFFECT TRANSISTORS

ORIENTED TO SPICE SOFTWARE FOR A/D CIRCUIT DESIGN

ROBERTO MARANI, GENNARO GELAO, ANNA G. PERRI
1990 Laboratorio di Dispositivi Elettronici, Dipartimento di Elettrotecnica ed Elettronica,
Politecnico di Bari, Via Re David 200, 70125, Bari (Italy), email: perri@poliba.it

In the proposed algorithm we have not used the

BACKGROUND AND AIMS previous approximation of VCNT to calculate ∂VCNT/ ∂VCNT  E α
≈ 1 − αSOFTLIM  (VGS − C )α+0.5, 
∂VGS (and also ∂nip/∂ξip), because some convergence
∂VGS  q 4ε 
issues occur during the SPICE simulation. Therefore
WE PRESENT A MODEL OF CARBON NANOTUBE FIELD EFFECT TRANSISTORS (CNTFETS) DIRECTLY AND EAS- ∂VCNT/∂VGS has been evaluated as:
ILY IMPLEMENTABLE IN SIMULATION SOFTWARE. THE MODEL IS BASED ON THE HYPOTHESIS OF FULLY BALLIS-
TIC TRANSPORT IN A MESOSCOPIC SYSTEM BETWEEN TWO NON-REFLECTIVE CONTACTS. TO AVOID THE RE- Since the SOFTLIM block is obtained by using hyperbolic tangent numerical problems are avoided
SORT TO SELF-CONSISTENCY, WE INTRODUCE THREE PARAMETERS EXTRACTED FROM QUANTUM MECHANICAL and in this way the quantum capacitances become continuous and derivable functions without any
SIMULATIONS OF THE DEVICE AND DEPENDING ON THE NANOTUBE DIAMETER AND THE OXIDE CAPACITANCE. convergence problem.
MOREOVER TWO COEFFICIENTS, DEPENDING ON THE SUB-BANDS MINIMA, ARE INTRODUCED TO EVALUATE
THE CHARGE IN THE CHANNEL IN ORDER TO DETERMINE THE QUANTUM CAPACITANCES. IN THIS WAY THE EQUIVALENT CIRCUIT OF A FLOW-CHART TO EVALUATE THE DRAIN
PROPOSED ISSUES ALLOW AN EASY IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MODEL IN CIRCUIT SIMULATORS WITHOUT LOS- N-TYPE CNTFET CURRENT AND THE QUANTUM CAPACITANCES
ING IN ACCURACY WITH A RELATIVE ERROR LESS THAN 5 % IN COMPARISON WITH EXPERIMENTAL DATA.
The CNTFET equivalent circuit, d
is similar to a common MOS- VGS VDS
INTRODUCTION FET one. We have extracted
VFB, RD, RS by a best-fit proce-
dure between the measured E Cp
p
CNTFETs are field effect transistors using a carbon nano- and simulated values of I–V α
Gate
tube as channel. As it is known, the carbon nanotubes characteristics of the device,
consist in a hexagonal mesh of carbon atoms wrapped in while the quantum capacitan-
cylinder shapes, some time with closing hemispherical Source Drain Ap, Bp V CNT
ces have been computed from
meshes on the tips. An important characteristic of CNT is SiO2 the charge in the channel.
mesh torsion, denoted as chirality, which has a strong in-
fluence on the CNT behaviour, changing electronic band CNT
Insulator We have also considered the CNT quantum inductance, as-
structure. ξSp, ξDp
Silicon Wafer p++ sumed constant and equal to 4 pH/nm, splitted up into two
Among carbon nanotube FETs, C-CNTFETs or conventional inductances of 2 pH/nm, while the classical self-inductance
CNTFETs, with heavily doped source and drain contacts, can be ignored. Finally, we have demonstrated and verified nSp, nDp IDS
3D REPRESENTATION OF A the lowest value of frequency from which it is necessary to
show the best performances in terms of “on-off” ratio
C-CNTFET consider this inductance and its role for both analog and
currents and subthreshold swing.
digital circuit simulations. CGS, CGD
Most of the models available in literature are numerical and make use of self-consistency
and therefore they cannot be directly implemented in simulation software for electronic cir-
cuits, such as SPICE. MODEL APLICATION FOR A/D CIRCUIT DESIGN
As analog test circuit a phase-shift oscillator has been used, it includes 3 identical RC networks, each
MODELLING stage provides a –60o phase shift, resulting in the required –180o total phase shift. From the output
SPICE simulation, the oscillation frequency (≈580 GHz) can be easily evaluated. At this frequency
the CNT quantum inductance effect is negligible (10 mV drop) since the magnitude of the inductive
I-V MODEL reactance is much smaller than the resistance values of the doped drain and source regions (≈25
kΩ); only at about 10 THz these magnitudes are comparable and cannot be neglected in circuit
The proposed model is based on a work of A. Raychowdhury et al. and on the following im-
simulations.
provements introduced by F. Prégaldiny et al. The model, developed for a n-type C-CNTFET
with semiconductor single wall CNT having diameters ranging from 1 nm to 4 nm, is based on PHASE SHIFT OSCILLATOR SIMULATED CNT DRAIN VOLTAGES
FIRST, SECOND, THIRD CNTFET VOLTAGE MARKED WITH SQUARE
the hypothesis of ballistic transport. TEST CIRCUIT DIAMONDS AND TRIANGLES RESPECTIVELY

In this hypothesis, when a positive voltage is applied between gate-source, the conduction
band at the channel beginning decreases by qVCNT, where VCNT is the surface potential and q
is the electron charge. With the hypothesis that each sub-band decreases by the same quan-
tity along the whole channel length, the total drain current is:

I DS =
4qkT
h
∑
p
 ( ) ( )
 ln 1+exp ( ξ Sp ) − ln 1+exp ( ξ Dp ) 
 ξ Sp =
q VC N T − E C p
kT
ξ Dp =
qVC NT − ECp − qVDS
kT
We have considered the first five sub-bands, but verifying that only three sub-bands are re-
quired to describe the C-CNTFET behaviour having diameters ranging from 1 nm to 4 nm. As digital application we have studied NOT logic gates in a four stage architecture. Each NOT is de-
Moreover we have verified that the sub-band effect is hidden when the quantum resistance signed using 3 identical CNTFET, while resistors represent parasitic elements. The further fourth
RS of the doped source region in series with the parasitic ones of the electrodes is considered. NOT gate has been used only to load the third stage. We have simulated the circuit driven by a
14ps clock, also in this case the CNT quantum inductance is negligible since the magnitude of the
In order to evaluate VCNT, the following approximation has been proposed: inductive reactance is much smaller than the resistances RD, RS. In the above simulations quantum
capacitances depend on the polarization voltages. This implies that, by repeating the simulation
 EC 2
α=α0 +α1 VDS +α 2 VDS with fixed values of capacitances, the signal is strongly degraded when it propagates in the circuit.
 VGS for VGS <
q

VCNT =  a0, a1 and a2, functions of both CNTFET diameter NOT GATES TRANSIENT SIMULATION OF CNT NOT GATE
 V − α  V − E C  for V ≥ EC
and gate oxide capacitance Cox, must be extracted TEST CIRCUIT THE OUTPUT OF THE FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD NOT ARE MARKED

 GS  GS  GS WITH SQUARES DIAMOND AND TRIANGLES RESPECTIVELY

 q  q from the experimental device characteristics.

SURFACE POTENTIAL VCNT VERSUS VDS SURFACE POTENTIAL VCNT VERSUS VDS FOR
FOR DIFFERENT VALUES OF VGS DIFFERENT VALUES OF THE CNT DIAMETER

CONCLUSIONS
WE HAVE PRESENTED A COMPACT, SEMI-EMPIRICAL MODEL OF CNTFET IN WHICH WE HAVE PROPOSED SEVERAL IS-
SUES TO ALLOW AN EASY IMPLEMENTATION IN CIRCUIT SIMULATORS, SUCH AS SPICE. IN ORDER TO VERIFY THE AC-
CURACY OF THE PROPOSED MODEL, THE RESULTS HAVE BEEN COMPARED WITH THOSE OF THE NUMERICAL MODEL
C-V MODEL ONLINE AVAILABLE AND OF EXPERIMENTAL DATA, WITH A NEGLIGIBLE RELATIVE ERROR IN BOTH CASES. MOREOVER
THE GOOD AGREEMENT BETWEEN SIMULATION AND EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS FOR A P-TYPE CNTFET DEMONSTRATES
To determine the quantum capacitances CGS and CGD, it is necessary to know the total chan- THE VALIDITY OF PROPOSED MODEL, BORN FOR A N-TYPE CNTFET, ALSO FOR THIS KIND OF DEVICES.
nel charge QCNT, having the following expression: FINALLY WE HAVE APPLIED THE MODEL IN THE SPICE SIMULATOR TO DESIGN BOTH ANALOG AND DIGITAL CIRCUITS,
DEMONSTRATING THE IMPORTANCE OF THE QUANTUM CAPACITANCE DEPENDENCE ON POLARIZATION VOLTAGE AND BE-

QCNT =q ∑ ( n Sp +n Dp )
n Sp electron concentration by the source in the p-th sub-band GINNING TO INVESTIGATE ABOUT THE EFFECTS OF THE CNT QUANTUM INDUCTANCE.

p
n Dp electron concentration by the drain in the p-th sub-band REFERENCES


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C =q ∂n Sp =q ∂n Sp ∂ξ Sp ∂VCNT
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the approximation of VCNT with the fol-

α − α −
 GS q    GS q  
V + V +4ε 2
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    
lowing relationship: VCNT =VGS −
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IEEE MOS-AK/GSA 2010

ROME, 8TH – 9TH APRIL 2010