Nanowire FETs With Nearly Single-Crystalline Si Channels by NiSi2-Seed Initiated Lateral Epitaxial Crystallization (SILEC)

In this letter, high-performance p-type nanowire field-effect transistors (NWFETs) with nearly single-crystalline Si channels were fabricated. By NiSi2 seed-initiated lateral epitaxial crystallization, a large nearly single-crystalline Si region up to 2-
$\mu \text{m}\,\,\times24$
-
$\mu \text{m}$
has been obtained with a CMOS-compatible process. Furthermore, utilizing the asymmetrical seed window design, a 20-nm-wide nearly single-crystalline Si nanowire was formed in the active area, followed by the feasible fabrication of p-type NWFETs. The as-fabricated p-type NWFETs exhibit high hole mobility (~51.4 cm2/
$\text{V}\cdot \text{s}$
), subthreshold swing (~66.5-mV/dec), and low off-state current (~4.1-pA/
$\mu \text{m}$
). The high-quality crystallization and the interface flatness were characterized by scanning electron microscopy. This work offers a promising method to realize top-tier circuits for low-power and low-cost monolithic three-dimensional integration.