Transconductance enhancement of Si nanowire transistors by oxide-induced strain

Transconductance (g
_m
) enhancement in n-type and p-type nanowire field-effect-transistors (nwFETs) is demonstrated by introducing controlled tensile strain into channel regions by pattern dependant oxidation (PADOX). Values of g
_m
are enhanced relative to control devices by a factor of 1.5 in p-nwFETs and 3.0 in n-nwFETs. Strain distributions calculated by a three-dimensional molecular dynamics simulation reveal predominantly horizontal tensile stress in the nwFET channels. The Raman spectra features in the strain controlled devices display an increase in the full width half maximum, and a shift to lower wavenumber confirming that g
_m
enhancement is due to tensile stress introduced by the PADOX approach.