Localised Strain Engineering for Next-Gen FD-SOI MOSFETs
The study focuses on the strain engineering techniques specifically developed to boost the electrical performance of next-generation Fully Depleted Silicon-on-Insulator (FD-SOI) nodes. We demonstrate that relaxing a highly tensile CESL degrades nMOS performance, validating the symmetrical recovery mechanisms expected for pMOS devices and providing key building blocks for the 10-nm FD-SOI transistors.
As CMOS scaling reaches physical and thermodynamic limits, optimizing carrier mobility through internal mechanical strain remains essential to boost performance. For next-generation FD-SOI devices, controlling the stress transferred from the Contact Etch Stop Layer (CESL) is critical to meet industry needs for high-performance and low-power computing.
We investigated Xenon (Xe), Argon (Ar), and Germanium (Ge) ion implantations to accurately modulate the mechanical strain. The study demonstrates that relaxing a highly tensile CESL capping layer leads to a controlled degradation of nMOS performance. This achievement validates the symmetrical performance recovery mechanisms expected for pMOS devices using an initial tensile CESL layout.
Access to advanced physical characterization tools such as in-line Raman spectroscopy within the FAMES pilot line allowed to precisely modulate and observe the relaxation effect of the strained capping layers, turning infrastructure capabilities into concrete technological success.
These results represent a key milestone for the FAMES project, demonstrating a crucial step forward in extending the FD-SOI technological roadmap toward future advanced nodes.
Maximizing mobility via strain engineering drastically lowers operational power consumption in final chips. Using inert noble gas implants (Ar, Xe) improves process resource efficiency and minimizes toxic chemical waste.
The primary applications target energy-efficient FD-SOI platforms for Edge-AI accelerators, automotive microcontrollers, and ultra-low-power IoT nodes.
Scientific contacts and contributors
L. D. Mohgouk Zouknak, B. Mohamad, K. Romanjek, L. Lachal, Z. Chalupa, M. Charbonneau, W. Vandendaele, V. Mandrillon, F. Mazen, A. Anotta, N. Gauthier, D. Mariolle, L. Brévard, L. Brunet, Ph. Rodriguez, B. Duriez, M. -C. Cyrille, C. Fenouillet-Beranger
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