IP Library Granted Patent US 12,034,078
Granted Patent B2
US 12,034,078 · App. 17/931,052 · Granted Jul 9, 2024

Nanowire transistor with source and drain induced by electrical contacts with negative Schottky barrier height

Inventors: Paul A. Clifton (Palo Alto, CA); Andreas Goebel (Mountain View, CA); Walter A. Harrison (Palo Alto, CA)
Assignee: Acorn Semi, LLC
H01L29/78618B82Y10/00H01L29/0673H01L29/0847H01L29/41725H01L29/41791H01L29/42392H01L29/775H01L29/7839H01L29/785H01L29/7851H01L29/78696
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,034,078
App. No.
17/931,052
Granted
Jul 9, 2024
Kind
B2
Abstract

A nanowire transistor includes undoped source and drain regions electrically coupled with a channel region. A source stack that is electrically isolated from a gate conductor includes an interfacial layer and a source conductor, and is coaxially wrapped completely around the source region, extending along at least a portion of the source region. A Schottky barrier between the source conductor and the source region is a negative Schottky barrier and a concentration of free charge carriers is induced in the semiconductor source region.

Claims (29)

1. A transistor, comprising:

a nanosheet having an undoped channel region of a first semiconductor material disposed longitudinally between and electrically coupled with an undoped semiconductor source region and an undoped semiconductor drain region;

a gate stack having a gate conductor and a gate insulator disposed around the undoped channel region of the nanosheet;

wherein the undoped semiconductor source region is included in a source stack having a source conductor and an interfacial layer disposed around the semiconductor source region, and the undoped semiconductor drain region is included in a drain stack having a drain conductor and an interfacial layer disposed around the semiconductor drain region, and wherein at least one of the interfacial layer disposed around the semiconductor source region and the interfacial layer disposed around the semiconductor drain region is composed of a material that is an insulator or a semiconductor in its bulk state.

2. A transistor, comprising:

a nanosheet having an undoped channel region of a first semiconductor material disposed longitudinally between and electrically coupled with an undoped semiconductor source region and an undoped semiconductor drain region;

a gate stack having a gate conductor and a gate insulator disposed around the undoped channel region of the nanosheet;

wherein the undoped semiconductor source region is included in a source stack having a source conductor and an interfacial layer disposed around the semiconductor source region, and the undoped semiconductor drain region is included in a drain stack having a drain conductor and an interfacial layer disposed around the semiconductor drain region, and wherein at least one of the interfacial layer disposed around the semiconductor source region and the interfacial layer disposed around the semiconductor drain region is composed of at least one epitaxial bilayer of group III and group V atomic monolayers.

3. A transistor, comprising:

a nanosheet having an undoped channel region of a first semiconductor material disposed longitudinally between and electrically coupled with an undoped semiconductor source region and an undoped semiconductor drain region;

a gate stack having a gate conductor and a gate insulator disposed around the undoped channel region of the nanosheet;

wherein the undoped semiconductor source region is included in a source stack having a source conductor and an interfacial layer disposed around the semiconductor source region, and the undoped semiconductor drain region is included in a drain stack having a drain conductor and an interfacial layer disposed around the semiconductor drain region, and wherein at least one of the interfacial layer disposed around the semiconductor source region and the interfacial layer disposed around the semiconductor drain region is composed of a monolayer of gallium (Ga) atoms and a monolayer of arsenic (As) atoms.

4. A transistor, comprising:

a nanosheet having an undoped channel region of a first semiconductor material disposed longitudinally between and electrically coupled with an undoped semiconductor source region and an undoped semiconductor drain region;

a gate stack having a gate conductor and a gate insulator disposed around the undoped channel region of the nanosheet;

wherein the undoped semiconductor source region is included in a source stack having a source conductor and an interfacial layer disposed around the semiconductor source region, and the undoped semiconductor drain region is included in a drain stack having a drain conductor and an interfacial layer disposed around the semiconductor drain region, and wherein at least one of the interfacial layer disposed around the semiconductor source region and the interfacial layer disposed around the semiconductor drain region is composed of a multi-layer structure, including at least both a passivation layer and a separation layer.

5. A transistor, comprising:

a nanosheet having an undoped channel region of a first semiconductor material disposed longitudinally between and electrically coupled with an undoped semiconductor source region and an undoped semiconductor drain region;

a gate stack having a gate conductor and a gate insulator disposed around the undoped channel region of the nanosheet;

wherein the undoped semiconductor source region is included in a source stack having a source conductor and an interfacial layer disposed around the semiconductor source region, and the undoped semiconductor drain region is included in a drain stack having a drain conductor and an interfacial layer disposed around the semiconductor drain region, and wherein at least one of the interfacial layer disposed around the semiconductor source region and the interfacial layer disposed around the semiconductor drain region includes a tunneling dielectric.

6. The transistor of claim 5 , wherein the tunneling dielectric is one of titanium oxide, silicon oxide, silicon nitride, and vanadium oxide.

7. A transistor, comprising:

a nanosheet having an undoped channel region of a first semiconductor material disposed longitudinally between and electrically coupled with an undoped semiconductor source region and an undoped semiconductor drain region;

a gate stack having a gate conductor and a gate insulator disposed around the undoped channel region of the nanosheet;

wherein the undoped semiconductor source region is included in a source stack having a source conductor and an interfacial layer disposed around the semiconductor source region, and the undoped semiconductor drain region is included in a drain stack having a drain conductor and an interfacial layer disposed around the semiconductor drain region, and wherein at least one of the interfacial layer disposed around the semiconductor source region and the interfacial layer disposed around the semiconductor drain region includes bilayers of group V and group III elements where atoms of the group V element are adjacent the source and/or drain conductor and atoms of the group III element are adjacent the nanosheet.

8. A transistor, comprising:

a nanosheet having an undoped channel region of a first semiconductor material disposed longitudinally between and electrically coupled with an undoped semiconductor source region and an undoped semiconductor drain region;

a gate stack having a gate conductor and a gate insulator disposed around the undoped channel region of the nanosheet;

wherein the undoped semiconductor source region is included in a source stack having a source conductor and an interfacial layer disposed around the semiconductor source region, and the undoped semiconductor drain region is included in a drain stack having a drain conductor and an interfacial layer disposed around the semiconductor drain region, and wherein at least one of the interfacial layer disposed around the semiconductor source region and the interfacial layer disposed around the semiconductor drain region includes bilayers of group V and group III elements where atoms of the group III element are adjacent the source and/or drain conductor and atoms of the group V element are adjacent the nanosheet.

Assignments (4)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 24, 2024
From: CLIFTON, PAUL A.
To: ACORN TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 067813/0525 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 24, 2024
From: GOEBEL, ANDREAS
To: ACORN TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 067814/0501 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 24, 2024
From: HARRISON, WALTER A.
To: ACORN TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Reel/Frame 067814/0549 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 24, 2024
From: ACORN TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
To: ACORN SEMI, LLC
Reel/Frame 067814/0657 →
Continuity (7)
Continuation 17091959 · Nov 6, 2020
Continuation 16693143 · Nov 22, 2019
Continuation 16202507 · Nov 28, 2018
Division 15816231 · Nov 17, 2017
Provisional Application 62456437 · Feb 8, 2017
Provisional Application 62424176 · Nov 18, 2016
Related Publication 20230006066A1 · Jan 5, 2023