Correlating FinFET device variability to the spatial fluctuation of fin width

•A compact model to correlate the FinFET variability to fin-width roughness (FWR) is developed.•The impacts of typical low-frequency FWR functions on FinFET device are studied.•FinFETs with longer channel and thinner gate oxide have better immunity to FWR variations.•High model accuracy is verified by a comparison with TCAD simulations.

A compact model to correlate FinFET device variability to the spatial fluctuation of fin-width is developed using the boundary perturbation method. An analytic solution of Poisson’s equation with a perturbed boundary (in the subthreshold regime) is derived to predict the fin-width fluctuation induced effects on both electric potential and drain current of a FinFET. Various types of low-frequency fin-width fluctuation are examined and the key parameters that impact the model accuracy are investigated. It is shown that FinFETs with thinner gate oxide or longer channel have improved immunity to fin-width variations. High accuracy of our model in different device operating conditions is demonstrated by comparing our model with TCAD simulations.

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