• DOI:10.1063/1.3372764
• Corpus ID: 15671267

On the Bandstructure Velocity and Ballistic Current of Ultra-Narrow Silicon Nanowire Transistors as a Function of Cross Section Size, Orientation, and Bias

@article{Neophytou2010OnTB,
  title={On the Bandstructure Velocity and Ballistic Current of Ultra-Narrow Silicon Nanowire Transistors as a Function of Cross Section Size, Orientation, and Bias},
  author={Neophytos Neophytou and Sung Geun Kim and Gerhard Klimeck and Hans Kosina},
  journal={Journal of Applied Physics},
  year={2010},
  volume={107},
  pages={113701}
}

• N. Neophytou, Sung Geun Kim, +1 author H. Kosina
• Published 1 June 2010
• Physics
• Journal of Applied Physics

A 20 band sp3d5s∗ spin-orbit-coupled, semiempirical, atomistic tight-binding model is used with a semiclassical, ballistic field-effect-transistor model, to theoretically examine the bandstructure carrier velocity and ballistic current in silicon nanowire (NW) transistors. Infinitely long, uniform, cylindrical, and rectangular NWs, of cross sectional diameters/sides ranging from 3–12 nm are considered. For a comprehensive analysis, n-type and p-type metal-oxide semiconductor (NMOS and PMOS) NWs in [100], [110], and [111] transport orientations are examined. In general, physical cross section reduction increases velocities, either by lifting the heavy mass valleys or significantly changing the curvature of the bands. The carrier velocities of PMOS [110] and [111] NWs are a strong function of diameter, with the narrower D=3 nm wires having twice the velocities of the D=12 nm NWs. The velocity in the rest of the NW categories shows only minor diameter dependence. This behavior is explained through features i...