Rounded three-dimensional germanium active channel for transistors and sensors

1. A process for fabricating a rounded three-dimensional germanium active channel for transistors and sensors, the process comprising:

providing a crystalline silicon substrate;

forming an insulator mask on the crystalline silicon substrate;

patterning the insulator mask with trenches to expose regions of the silicon substrate;

epitaxially growing germanium selectively in the trenches, seeded from the silicon wafer;

optionally etching the insulator mask partially, so that the cross section of the germanium resembles a trapezoid on a stem; and

annealing at least the germanium at an elevated temperature so as to cause the germanium to deform and form the rounded channel.

2. The process of claim 1 wherein the annealing is performed in vacuum, hydrogen, or inert gas ambient.

3. The process of claim 1 further comprising:

doping source and drain regions in the channel to define an un-doped region of the channel therebetween; and

forming a gate dielectric over at least the undoped region of the channel and functionalizing a region along the surface in between the source and drain regions with a receptor species or nanostructure that will specifically bind a target molecule or species and be altered in its electronic state, thereby forming a field-effect sensor, wherein a current passing through the channel under a voltage bias from one end to the other is affected by the presence of molecules or species attached to its surface.

4. The process of claim 3 wherein the insulating layer is formed on the channel after the steps of doping and forming and a window is patterned in the insulating layer to selectively expose a portion of a channel surface or a portion of the gate dielectric for functionalization.

5. The process of claim 4 further comprising attaching electrodes to either end of the rounded channel.

6. The process of claim 1 further comprising:

forming and patterning a gate dielectric and gate electrode onto this the rounded channel to form a gate stack of a MOSFET device.

7. The process of claim 6 further comprising

patterning the gate electrode and adding dopants into the rounded channel to form source and drain regions located on parts of the germanium cylinder rounded channel on either side of the gate stack; and

attaching electrodes to the gate electrode, the source region, and the drain region, thereby forming the MOSFET device.

8. The process of claim 6 wherein the gate dielectric is an oxide formed by growing a thin layer of silicon or silicon-germanium selectively onto the channel surface and oxidizing it.

9. The process of claim 7 wherein metal-semiconductor Schottky junctions are formed at the source and drain regions, with the channel, gate stack, and source and drain regions together defining a germanium MOSFET device.

10. The process of claim 1 wherein the step of epitaxially growing germanium includes further growing germanium until it overgrows the mouth and edges of the trenches and begins to protrude outwards, wherein the epitaxial germanium body outside of the trench mouth has a trapezoidal cross-section.

11. The process of claim 1 wherein in the step of annealing, the elevated temperature is in the range of about 700° to 900° C.

12. The process of claim 1 wherein the rounded channel is vaulted.

13. The process of claim 1 wherein the rounded channel is omega-shaped.

14. The process of claim 1 wherein the insulator mask comprises SiO 2 .