Electrical Characterization of Emerging Transistor Technologies: Issues and Challenges

Experimental results gained by various electrical characterization techniques are discussed and compared for a CNTFET technology, which suffers as almost all emerging technologies from traps in the gate oxide. Based on these results, it is highlighted that, contrary to common practice, a fast data acquisition technique is required to ensure a proper electrical device characterization in terms of 1) trap-free device characteristics, 2) reproducible experimental results, and 3) a consistent set of dc and small-signal (ac) characteristics. It is argued that a reasonable technology comparison among emerging technologies must be based on data fulfilling these criteria since trap-affected measurements distort the device behavior which can lead to wrong conclusions about the performance of a device such as the apparent linearity. A trap model capturing the aforementioned issues is briefly introduced. Moreover, the challenges of the electrical characterization of high-impedance devices are explored.