An Accurate FinFET's Vmin Estimation Method for Extreme Low Operation Voltage Design

In this paper, the minimum operating voltage (Vmin) estimation methodology for advanced FinFET technology is newly proposed with a manufacturability consideration. The experiment depicts that key factors to determine Vmin are the sum of threshold voltages of n-FET/p-FET, beta-ratio (n/p-FET strength ratio), and random variation. The new equation successfully captures the key electrical features, which is verified by both Monte-Carlo simulation and advanced 11nm/8nm FinFET experimental data. Based on the new model, the paper also provides the guideline for threshold voltage and local mismatch strategy for future advanced FinFET Vmin improvement.