Impact of quantum effects on the short channel effects of III–V nMOSFETs in weak and strong inversion regimes

• DIBL and SS are not affected by quantum confinement effects in subthreshold regime.
• Higher dielectric constant of III–V materials is the dominant cause of SCE increase.
• In the strong-inversion regime, quantum effects cause DIBL increase in III–V MOSFETs.

This paper investigates the impact of quantum effects on the increase of short channel effects in III–V MOSFETs. First of all, contrary to the results obtained by other groups [1] and [2], quantum confinement has been found to play no role on the short channel effects occurring in the subthreshold regime. In this regime, the main origin of the increase of SCEs is simply due to the higher dielectric constant of III–V semiconductors. However, in strong inversion regime, the increase of the electrical equivalent oxide thickness due to quantum confinement is shown to have a detrimental impact on the drain induced barrier lowering. These results further confirm that III–V technologies will require innovative devices like ultra-thin films or multi-gate structures to ensure a better control short channel effects.