Physics of strain effects in semiconductors and metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors

TLDR

The paper provides a detailed theoretical framework for strain effects in bulk semiconductors and surface Si, Ge, and III–V channel MOSFETs. The study investigates the impact of in-plane biaxial and longitudinal uniaxial stress on energy band splitting, warping, effective mass, and scattering. This investigation uses symmetry, tight‑binding, and k⋅p methods. The results show that both biaxial and longitudinal uniaxial stress split the Si conduction band, while only longitudinal uniaxial stress along ⟨110⟩ splits the Ge conduction band; longitudinal uniaxial stress warps the conduction band in all semiconductors, and strain alters valence bands similarly across Si, Ge, and III–V, with the largest hole mobility enhancement under longitudinal uniaxial compression in ⟨110⟩ channels and materials with large heavy/light hole mass differences such as Ge and GaAs; moreover, uniaxial stress offers advantages over biaxial stress, including additive strain and confinement splitting, larger two‑dimensional in‑plane density of states, smaller conductivity mass, and less band‑gap narrowing.

Abstract

A detailed theoretical picture is given for the physics of strain effects in bulk semiconductors and surface Si, Ge, and III–V channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors. For the technologically important in-plane biaxial and longitudinal uniaxial stress, changes in energy band splitting and warping, effective mass, and scattering are investigated by symmetry, tight-binding, and k⋅p methods. The results show both types of stress split the Si conduction band while only longitudinal uniaxial stress along ⟨110⟩ splits the Ge conduction band. The longitudinal uniaxial stress warps the conduction band in all semiconductors. The physics of the strain altered valence bands for Si, Ge, and III–V semiconductors are shown to be similar although the strain enhancement of hole mobility is largest for longitudinal uniaxial compression in ⟨110⟩ channel devices and channel materials with substantial differences between heavy and light hole masses such as Ge and GaAs. Furthermore, for all these materials, uniaxial is shown to offer advantages over biaxial stress: additive strain and confinement splitting, larger two dimensional in-plane density of states, smaller conductivity mass, and less band gap narrowing.