Investigation on direct-gap GeSn alloys for high-performance tunneling field-effect transistor applications

GeSn alloys are investigated for high-performance tunneling device applications. Samples with relatively high Sn compositions are characterized. GeSn electronic band structures are calculated and basic material parameters are extracted. Based on the established GeSn parameter sets, direct-gap GeSn tunneling field-effect transistors are simulated and analyzed. A higher Sn composition enhances device performance, but subthreshold swing is affected by the increased leakage level. For ultra small supply voltages, device structure should be optimized to improve device characteristics.