Silicon-on-Insulator Technology:Conclusion

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Conclusion

SOI offers the opportunity to integrate high-performance and/or innovative devices while expanding the imminent frontiers of the CMOS down-scaling. Since bulk-Si CMOS can hardly continue, the SOI horizon is cleared. Continuous progress in material science and technology is already incorporating novel semiconductors (strained layers, Ge, and SiGe) and dielectrics into SOI structures. These devices are expected to infuse enhanced performance and new functionalities. The short-term prospects of SOI- based microelectronics depend on the penetration rate of high-speed and low-power SOI circuits into the market. Most of the disadvantages of SOI (self-heating, hot-carriers, early breakdown, etc.) tend to disappear for operation at low voltage.

The nanosize SOI MOSFET stands as a perfect device for a smooth transition from microelectronics to nanoelectronics. Recent results for state-of-the-art SOI MOS transistors reveal the mixed flavors of device scaling. Thin tunneling oxides turn on remarkable GIFBE. In nanometer-thick SOI films, the coupling effects are amplified leading to supercoupling and interesting quantum effects. The self-heating issue can be alleviated by thinning the BOX and replacing it with a different dielectrics. A GP or additional gates avoid degrading the electrostatic behavior of the nano-MOSFET.

The family of size effects in SOI is very reach because each dimension of the transistor plays a specific role. A given size effect (length, width, and thickness) is modulated by the other dimensions. The control of these 3D coupling effects is vital for the MOSFET scaling beyond the 10 nm channel-length barrier. What is certain is that all dimensions will be reduced concomitantly. The semiconductor body will presumably be the thinnest layer in the device. In parallel, the transistor architecture is rapidly evolving to multiple gates, opening a wide space for new circuit topologies.

A key challenge is associated with the industrial strategy, which must be oriented to overcome the bulk- Si mono-cultural barrier. Designers, process engineers, and managers are still extremely busy loading the bulk-Si machine. But, they have begun to realize the immediate and long-term assets of SOI technology.

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